Recent Research

In a groundbreaking study, researchers developed a machine learning (ML) model designed to predict the initial onset of seizures in newborns suffering from hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). HIE is a serious condition that affects infants due to a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain, and seizures are a common complication. The model, dubbed Neo-GB, leverages both clinical data (like blood gas values and gestational age) and quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) features to assess seizure risk over time.

A recent study delves into the health challenges faced by Service Members and Veterans diagnosed with epilepsy—a condition that can come with a host of other medical issues. Researchers looked at data from the Veterans Health Administration, spanning from 2002 to 2018, to analyze the health trajectories of these individuals both before and after their epilepsy diagnosis.

A recent study delved into the cognitive differences found in people with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME), a specific type of epilepsy that often appears in adolescence. The researchers wanted to see how these cognitive profiles compared to those of unaffected siblings and unrelated controls. To do this, they gathered a group of 77 JME participants, 19 unaffected siblings, and 44 unrelated controls, all between the ages of 12 and 25, and gave them a series of neuropsychological tests.

Cholesterol is more than just a thing we hear about in relation to heart health; it plays a crucial role in our brain’s functioning too. When there’s an imbalance in how cholesterol is produced and processed in the brain, it can lead to serious issues, including conditions like epilepsy. Since cholesterol can’t simply pass through the blood-brain barrier, our brains have to make their own cholesterol, with a special enzyme called cholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CH24H) taking the lead in this process.

In a fascinating study on drug-resistant focal epilepsy, researchers set out to better understand the brain’s electrical activity during seizures. This particularly involves what happens when the brain shifts from a calm state (interictal) to an active seizure state (ictal). By analyzing stereo-electroencephalographic (SEEG) signals from ten patients, they sought to identify patterns in the activity of the epileptogenic zone network (EZN), which includes various interconnected brain regions that contribute to seizure initiation.

A recent study has shed light on the relationship between seizures and neurodevelopmental outcomes in young children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a genetic condition that often leads to epilepsy and intellectual disabilities. Researchers tracked 129 TSC patients from birth to three years old, analyzing their seizure patterns, brain scans, and developmental milestones. They aimed to determine how the timing of seizures and the overall number of seizures affected cognitive development.

Researchers are exploring a new way to diagnose epilepsy using ultra-low-field (ULF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which could be a game-changer, especially in areas where traditional high-field MRI is hard to access due to cost and technology limitations. While high-field MRI is the gold standard for diagnosing epilepsy, not everyone can get one promptly—even in wealthier countries.

In a fascinating exploration of electrical brain activity, researchers investigated how the brain’s electrical patterns, measured through EEG (electroencephalography), differ in patients with STXBP1 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (STXBP1-DEE). Monogenic epilepsies, like STXBP1-DEE, are caused by mutations in a single gene, yet there’s been limited focus on how these patients’ EEGs vary from others.

Researchers have recently uncovered fascinating insights into a gene called SLC35A2, which is linked to a rare condition that affects brain development and can cause epilepsy, known as mild malformations of cortical development with oligodendroglial hyperplasia in epilepsy (MOGHE). While SLC35A2 mutations have been flagged as genetic markers for this condition, how this gene influences brain development and contributes to seizure activity has remained a bit of a mystery.