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Childhood Epilepsy Tackled By Rutgers Research

Rutgers researchers have discovered a potential new way to treat childhood epilepsy using a widely available therapeutic drug.  In their quest for new therapeutic approaches, the researchers are investigating the molecular basis of the disease. The article describes the first use of a mouse model of cortical dysplasia, a malformation of the brain that is most often the cause of childhood epilepsy. Introducing the drug rapamycin, originally used to prevent rejection in organ transplants, suppressed epileptic seizures in the mice.  D'Arcangelo's mutant mice lack a gene (Pten) that suppresses cell growth in some neurons, resulting in these mutants displaying molecular, cellular and physiological traits of cortical dysplasia. The researchers treated the mice with rapamycin. It had already shown promise in a different mouse model for treating tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a subtype of cortical dysplasia.
"We demonstrated that rapamycin is a novel and effective anti-epileptic agent that suppresses seizures in our mice, as well as in the TSC model, and this has raised some hope for the future," said D'Arcangelo. "This drug is being tested on human patients of tuberous sclerosis in a multicenter study involving six TSC clinics throughout the United States. I hope it will soon be tested for all cortical dysplasia patients."
For more information click on the following link   www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153370.php

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Posted by PACE at 6/18/2009 8:49 AM | Add Comment

NEW INFO ON KEPPRA XR TM

UCB announced findings from new studies of the once-daily antiepileptic drug (AED) Keppra XR(TM) (levetiracetam) extended-release tablets comparing tolerability versus levetiracetam immediate release (IR) and reporting on additional dosing schedules. The data were among five studies that were presented at the 62nd annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) in Seattle.

In this new meta-analysis, patients taking Keppra XR experienced fewer nervous system side effects than those taking the same dose of twice daily levetiracetam. Keppra XR is the only once-daily, extended-release formulation of levetiracetam, and there is no generic alternative available.

For more information, click on the following link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/132394.php




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Posted by PACE at 2/16/2009 10:24 AM | Add Comment

Discovery Of First Gene For Most Common Form Of Epilepsy

An international team of researchers, led by investigators at Columbia University Medical Center, has uncovered the first gene linked to the most common type of epilepsy, called Rolandic epilepsy. One out of every five children with epilepsy is diagnosed with this form, which is associated with seizures starting in one part of the brain. The finding is the first step in unlocking the causes of common childhood epilepsies and developing more effective treatments.  For more information please click on the following link:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/137090.php
 

 

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Posted by PACE at 2/2/2009 11:10 AM | Add Comment

Data From Pivotal Study Show Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy Reduced

In a clinical trial supported by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), deep brain stimulation (DBS) significantly reduced seizure frequency among patients with medically refractory epilepsy with partial-onset seizures, a form of the neurological condition that does not respond well to antiepileptic drugs.  Of the 87 study participants, 60 percent of them experienced a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency. For more information, click on the following link:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/132521.php
 

 

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Posted by PACE at 1/29/2009 2:00 PM | Add Comment

Phase III clinical trial study

There is a Phase III clinical trial study being conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of clobazam as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of seizures which lead to drop attacks/seizures in subjects 2 to 60 years of age with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. There are 65 sites in the US enrolling subjects in the study.  For more information on the study and how to enroll go to the links section of the PACE website, click on the clinicaltrials.gov link , click search for clinical trial, type in pediatric epilepsy. It is study 13.

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Posted by PACE at 1/28/2009 2:20 PM | Add Comment

Analysis Supports Use Of Surgery To Treat Medication-Resistant Epilepsy

 
 Persons with temporal lobe epilepsy who do not respond to medication could receive a substantial gain in life expectancy and quality of life by undergoing surgery of the temporal lobe part of the brain. Despite currently available anti-epileptic drugs, 20 percent to 40 percent of all patients with epilepsy do not respond to medical management. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy and the most likely to be medically non-responsive, and these patients are at increased risk of premature death. Patients becoming seizure free after anterior (toward the front) temporal lobe resection have reduced death rates relative to patients continuing to have seizures.  For more information, click on the following link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/131654.php

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Posted by PACE at 1/19/2009 11:02 AM | Add Comment

NEW ANTI_EPILEPTIC DRUG, Zebinix (TM)

NEW ANTI_EPILEPTIC DRUG, Zebinix (TM)

Positive data from three phase III studies presented at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) Congress, Seattle, USA, show that Zebinix(TM)(1) (eslicarbazepine acetate), a novel once-daily anti-epileptic agent, significantly reduced the frequency of partial seizures and has the potential to significantly improve quality of life and depressive symptoms in patients with partial refractory epilepsy, in combination with other anti-epileptic agents.

Zebinix(TM) is currently under review by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in combination with other anti-epileptic drugs. A U.S. New Drug Application (NDA) is currently being prepared with an anticipated submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in early 2009.

For more information, click on the following link  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/132193.php

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Posted by PACE at 1/14/2009 1:25 PM | Add Comment

Data From Pivotal Study Show Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy Reduced Se

In a clinical trial supported by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), deep brain stimulation (DBS) significantly reduced seizure frequency among patients with medically refractory epilepsy with partial-onset seizures, a form of the neurological condition that does not respond well to antiepileptic drugs.  Of the 87 study participants, 60 percent of them experienced a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency. For more information, click on the following link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/132521.php
 
 
 
 
 
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Posted by PACE at 12/22/2008 10:48 AM | Add Comment

International Team Finds Gene Associated With Epilepsy

A University of Iowa-led international research team has found a new gene associated with the brain disorder epilepsy. While the PRICKLE1 gene mutation was specific to a rare form of epilepsy, the study results could help lead to new ideas for overall epilepsy treatment.

The findings, which involved nearly two dozen institutions from six different countries, appear in the Nov. 7 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.  For more information, please click on the link below.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/129906.php

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Posted by PACE at 12/11/2008 11:02 AM | Add Comment

Common Sedative Linked To Deaths In Patients With Prolonged Seizures

Patients treated for their prolonged seizures with the sedative propofol may be at high risk for complications and even death. New research presented at CHEST 2008, the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that the use of propofol as an antiepileptic agent in patients with refractory status epilepticus (RSE), prolonged seizures that do not respond to initial treatment, was associated with significant mortality and morbidity.  For more information click on the link below:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/127372.php


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Posted by PACE at 12/9/2008 10:29 AM | Add Comment
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