A dietary supplement that mimics the effects of the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is well-tolerated and appears to reduce seizures in children and adults with treatment-resistant epilepsy, early research suggests. However, at least one expert has concerns. In an open-label feasibility study, researchers assessed a liquid supplement known as K.Vita (Vitaflo International Ltd), which contains […]
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Changes in brain regions can predict the progression of epilepsy, lead to better treatment
Scientists have discovered that the way in which neurons are connected within regions of the brain, can be a better indicator of disease progression and treatment outcomes for people with brain disorders such as epilepsy. Many brain diseases lead to cell death and the removal of connections within the brain. In a new study, published […]
Microrna-29 molecule controls brain maturation in mammals
A team led by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine identified a molecule called microRNA-29 as a powerful controller of brain maturation in mammals. Deleting microRNA-29 in mice caused problems very similar to those seen in autism, epilepsy, and other neurodevelopmental conditions. The results, published in Cell Reports, illuminate an important process in the […]
Scientists pinpoint a brain region that stops breathing in pediatric epilepsy
University of Iowa neuroscientists have identified a specific area of the brain involved in the loss of breathing that occurs during a seizure. The findings, published in JCI Insight on March 12, could have important implications for predicting, or even treating and preventing sudden unexpected death due to epilepsy (SUDEP). Although it has been known […]
First medical cannabis charity offers grants to epilepsy, MS patients
Hope for dozens of families as country’s first medical cannabis charity plans to offer grants to epilepsy and MS patients forking out for private prescriptions Sapphire Medical Foundation aims to dish out grants to 20 patients next year They will target poor families unable to afford expensive private prescriptions It will heap pressure on government as […]
Research team develops new genetic-based epilepsy risk scores
An international team of researchers led by Cleveland Clinic has developed new genetic-based epilepsy risk scores which may lay the foundation for a more personalized method of epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. This analysis is the largest study of epilepsy genetics to date, as well as the largest study of epilepsy using human samples. Published in […]
Binary bias distorts how we integrate information
When we evaluate and compare a range of data points — whether that data is related to health outcomes, head counts, or menu prices — we tend to neglect the relative strength of the evidence and treat it as simply binary, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological […]
Heart-brain connection could be predictive biomarker for epilepsy
Heartbeat irregularities connected to brain activity abnormalities may lead to the ability to predict eventual epileptic seizures in subjects who suffered physical or infectious brain insults, according to Penn State researchers who studied mouse models of cerebral malaria, which often causes epilepsy in those who survive. “We were developing, in a project led by Steven […]