Epilepsy can present significant challenges when it comes to pinpointing the exact area in the brain responsible for seizures, especially for patients who do not respond to medication. Identifying this area, known as the epileptogenic zone (EZ), is crucial for effective presurgical planning. In the quest to improve this localization process, researchers have turned their attention to interictal spikes—brief bursts of electrical activity in the brain that occur between seizures. Specifically, they’ve examined a type of spike known as pSpikes, which overlap with high-frequency oscillations. This study aimed to see how well pSpikes perform compared to other types of spikes in identifying the EZ.

A recent study set out to find out how long electroencephalography (EEG) recordings need to be in order to effectively detect epileptic spasms (ES) in patients with infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS). This research looked back at data from patients who had overnight video-EEG monitoring between January 2020 and June 2022. The goal was to gather insights on how the duration of EEG monitoring impacts the detection of these spasms and related conditions.

In a recent study, researchers investigated how epilepsy affects the retina over time, specifically looking at a phenomenon known as neuroaxonal loss. This condition involves the damage or loss of nerve fibers in the brain, which is also reflected in the retina—the part of the eye that helps us see. The study aimed to track changes in the retina of people with epilepsy (PwE) compared to healthy individuals, helping to shed light on how this brain disorder could impact vision and overall brain health.

In a recent study, researchers explored how health state utilities—essentially a measure of the quality of life from the perspective of those living with a health condition—affect people with epilepsy. This is crucial because these utilities help calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), a metric that plays a significant role in making clinical decisions, evaluating health policies, and planning treatments. Surprisingly, until now, not much was known about how health state utilities vary among epilepsy patients or what factors influence these ratings.

A recent study shines light on the connection between drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and the presence of certain brain abnormalities, specifically focusing on amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau proteins. Researchers investigated the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain scans of adults aged 25 to 55 with TLE to identify signs of neuronal damage. They found significant Aβ deposition in specific brain areas, suggesting that these biomarkers might help us understand better the cognitive challenges faced by people with TLE.

In the world of epilepsy treatment, surgery can be a game-changer for patients whose seizures don’t respond to medication. One crucial step in ensuring the best outcomes after surgery is understanding the characteristics of the brain tissue that gets removed. This involves examining the tissue under a microscope, but distinguishing specific types of brain abnormalities, like focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), can be quite tricky. A recent study has explored a cutting-edge technique called imaging mass spectrometry, which may make this process easier and more accurate.

In a fascinating study, researchers explored the impact of certain mutations in the GIRDIN/CCDC88A gene, which are linked to a severe brain disorder in humans known as developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE). The challenge they faced was that mice bred to have similar genetic mutations typically died before they could grow past the early stages of life, making it difficult to study how these mutations lead to epilepsy. To tackle this issue, the scientists created a novel lifelong feeding strategy that allowed the mice to survive well beyond the usual early fatality, helping them to investigate the pathogenesis of DEE more effectively.

Researchers are making strides in understanding epilepsy, particularly in identifying objective biomarkers that indicate neural epileptic activity (EA). This study focused on whether measuring neuronal complexity—essentially how organized or chaotic brain activity is—could serve as a reliable marker for epilepsy, independent of the usual signs like interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs). By gradually reducing anti-seizure medication…