Treatments & Management

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.

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.

In a recent study, researchers explored the long-term effects of a new antiseizure medication called Perampanel (PER) in patients suffering from developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). DEEs are complex conditions characterized by severe seizures, abnormal brain wave patterns, and developmental delays, often making them difficult to treat. This particular study included 24 patients who had…

A recent study has taken a closer look at how benzodiazepines, commonly used medications for managing seizure clusters, not only help stop seizures in the moment but may also offer some longer-term benefits. Researchers dug into a database called Seizure Tracker™, which collects patient-reported information about seizures and medications, to analyze data from 2007 to 2022. They aimed to find out if using benzodiazepines to treat seizure clusters affects the time until the next cluster hits.

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 has shed light on how effective antiseizure medications (ASMs) are for treating neonates who experience seizures caused by acute arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). This research is important because it focuses on a specific group of infants—those born at or near term—who have unique medical needs. The study examined 88 neonates from 15 advanced neonatal intensive care units across Europe, allowing researchers to gather valuable data on how these infants responded to different medications.

A recent study explored the long-term effects of a medication called perampanel for patients with Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS), a severe form of epilepsy that often leads to frequent, uncontrolled seizures. The study involved patients aged two and older, all of whom were already on one to four other epilepsy medications but still experiencing at least two significant seizure episodes, known as “drop seizures,” each week. Researchers wanted to assess whether adding perampanel could help reduce those drop seizures over a long period.

The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) recently took a closer look at the mental health challenges faced by children and adolescents with epilepsy, specifically focusing on anxiety and depression. They assembled a group called the Psychiatric Pediatric Issues Task Force to develop guidelines on how to effectively diagnose and treat these mental health issues in young patients. Through a thorough review of existing studies, they aimed to fill in the gaps where evidence was lacking and come up with practical recommendations.

In a fascinating study on epilepsy, researchers focused on structural epilepsies, which can develop long after an initial brain injury or insult. What makes this research particularly important is the potential for secondary prevention; if doctors could identify those at greatest risk for developing epilepsy, they might be able to intervene before the condition fully develops. However, a major hurdle has been the lack of reliable biomarkers—essentially biological indicators—needed to spot individuals at higher risk.