“Long-Term Study Shows Lacosamide May Help Control Seizures in People with Generalized Epilepsy”

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to various complications, including seizures, which can be either functional (non-epileptic) or epileptic. Unfortunately, treatments for these seizure conditions in TBI patients are limited, prompting researchers to explore the effectiveness of a specific therapy called neurobehavioral therapy (NBT). In a new study, scientists looked into how well NBT worked for patients dealing with both TBI and seizures over the course of a year.

Researchers have recently made significant strides in understanding how to potentially prevent epilepsy following a severe brain condition called status epilepticus (SE). SE is characterized by prolonged, uncontrolled seizures and leads to brain changes that can trigger epilepsy later on. A critical aspect of this study involved examining the role of the glymphatic system, which…

Epilepsy is a common brain condition that affects millions, but for about one-third of those with it, traditional medications just don’t work, leading to what’s called drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). This situation calls for new treatment options, and researchers are looking into a technique known as transcranial magnetic continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS). In a recent clinical trial, scientists set out to see if this method could effectively treat DRE by specifically targeting an area of the brain called the cerebellum.

Researchers are diving into the potential of exogenous ketones—compounds that can help produce ketones in the body—as a treatment for epilepsy, with a particular focus on how they might affect seizures and the gut microbiome. This study explored how administering a ketone ester (KE) through two different methods—oral gavage (basically, feeding it to the mice) and subcutaneous (SC) injection (like getting a shot)—influences seizure activity in mice that model aspects of human temporal lobe epilepsy.

A recent study has shed light on how exposure to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during pregnancy can influence a child’s brain development, even years after birth. The research focused on the brain activity of 6-year-old children who were exposed to AEDs in the womb compared to those who were not. The human brain is known to undergo significant changes during late pregnancy, and these changes make it particularly sensitive to factors that may alter neuronal activity, such as medications taken by pregnant mothers to manage epilepsy.

A recent study from China has shed light on the effects of withdrawing antiseizure medications (ASMs) during the first trimester of pregnancy, which is a critical period for both the mother and the developing fetus. The research involved a substantial number of pregnancies—695 to be exact—tracked across 50 hospitals from 2009 to 2023. The main aim was to understand how stopping these medications might impact seizure control and the health of the offspring.