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New research confirms that childhood onset temporal lobe epilepsy has a significant impact on brain aging. Study findings published in Epilepsia, a peer-reviewed journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), show age-accelerated ventricular expansion outside the normal range in this patient population.

New research confirms that childhood onset temporal lobe epilepsy has a significant impact on brain aging. Study findings published in Epilepsia, a peer-reviewed journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), show age-accelerated ventricular expansion outside the normal range in this patient population.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), epilepsy affects nearly 2 million Americans. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of partial epilepsy, with 60% of all patients having this form of the disease. Previous evidence suggests that patients with childhood onset epilepsy have significant...

Using cutting-edge illumination technology, Professor Ofer Levi and his research students from the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) have developed a new cost-effective neural imaging system.It allows researchers to make much more complex maps of the brain with just one camera and one imaging system. The team's initial findings, released this week in Biomedical Optics Express, demonstrate that this new technology may one day transform the way researchers view the human brain. Developed from the same...

Using cutting-edge illumination technology, Professor Ofer Levi and his research students from the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE)

A paper published online in Nature describes the results of using bone marrow transplant (BMT) to replace faulty immune system cells in models of Rett Syndrome. The procedure arrested many severe symptoms of the childhood disorder, including abnormal breathing and movement, and significantly extended the lifespan of Rett mouse models. Exploring the function of microglia deficient in methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (Mecp2), the protein encoded by the "Rett gene," principal investigator Jonathan Kipnis, Ph.D. and his team at the University of Virginia School of Medicine uncovered a completely novel approach to this devastating...

Scientists from Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington, in collaboration with the Genomic Disorders Group Nijmegen in the Netherlands, have identified two new genes that cause Baraitser-Winter syndrome, a rare brain malformation that is characterized by droopy eyelids and intellectual disabilities. "This new discovery brings the total number of genes identified with this type of brain defect to eight," said William Dobyns, MD, a geneticist at Seattle Children's Research Institute. Identification of the additional genes associated with the syndrome make it possible for researchers to learn more about brain development....

In February 2012 a group of dedicated doctors from 19 different countries in African, and a further 5 countries outside Africa, met to discuss issues affecting the management of children with epilepsy in Africa. Attendees from Africa: Luis Bernadino and Manuel Cruzeiro (Angola), David Bearden (Botswana / USA), Elie Mbonda (Cameroun), Therese Douayoua-Sonan (Cote d’Ivoire), Luc Malimbalimba Maururu (DRC), Ahmed Raouf Ibrahim (Egypt), Kindu Woldemichael (Ethiopia), Eben Badoe (Ghana), Pauline Samia and Charles Newton (Kenya), Macpherson Mallewa (Malawi), Dalila Ibrhimo Sulemane (Mozambique), Wammanda Daniel Robinson (Nigeria), Judy Orikiiza Tatwangire and Febrionie Mushimiyimana (Rwanda), Moustapha Ndiaye (Senegal), Alhaji...

New recommendations on the use of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) for the treatment of adults and children with epilepsy have been set out, in updated NICE guidelines. Epilepsy affects up to an estimated 415,000 people in England, and two-thirds of people with active epilepsy have their condition satisfactorily controlled by AEDs. NICE first published guidance on epilepsy in 2004 that included recommendations on the use of AEDs, as well as advice on the diagnosis, treatment and further management of the condition. As recent years have seen a rise...

The ILAE  "6th Migrating Course on Epilepsy" will be held in Porto, Portugal, from 10 -17 June 2012.The Portuguese League Against Epilepsy will organize the event and outline the scientific program, in close collaboration with the Commission on European Affairs of the ILAE.  This is a comprehensive course combining basic and clinical epileptology. It is aimed primarily to younger doctors (< 45yrs). The teaching staff comprises european epileptologists with widely recognized scientific and educational skills. The working model will be interactive, with emphasis on work sessions in small groups, and participants are encouraged to...

The ILAE  "6th Migrating Course on Epilepsy" will be held in Porto, Portugal, from 10 -17 June 2012.The Portuguese League Against Epilepsy will organize the event and outline the scientific program, in close collaboration with the Commission on European Affairs of the ILAE.  This is a comprehensive course combining basic and clinical epileptology. It is aimed primarily to younger doctors (< 45yrs). The teaching staff comprises european epileptologists with widely recognized scientific and educational skills. The working model will be interactive, with emphasis on work sessions in small groups, and participants are encouraged to...