Adults with active and inactive epilepsy are more likely to have Medicaid and other public insurance coverage, and to report an inability to afford prescription medicine, specialty care, or other types of care compared with those without epilepsy, according to research published in the May 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and…
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On 27 May 2022, World Health Organization Member States approved the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders (IGAP) at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Four international organizations and 116 Member States spoke in support of the plan, which passed unanimously. Read the full article here
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Researchers studying a common form of epilepsy have made an important discovery about a process within the brain’s hippocampus that appears to modulate seizure activity and suggests a possible new target for future therapies. In epilepsy, according to the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the normal pattern of neuronal activity in the brain…
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Epileptic seizures worsen via the same mechanism by which practice makes perfect, a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found. The research, conducted on rodents with epilepsy, provides a major new insight into the mechanics of how seizures worsen: Seizures drive better insulation of the nerve fibers involved in seizing, allowing the brain…
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It is estimated that 27,000 children and teens are living with epilepsy in Florida, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Now a new law is making it easier for these kids to go to school. Florida is one of 14 states who have versions of seizure safe school laws that allow kids to get the care…
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A program called Home-Based Self-Management and Cognitive Training Changes Lives, or HOBSCOTCH, improved cognition and quality of life in persons with epilepsy, according to a study published in Neurology on April 6. “Nearly 50 percent of persons with epilepsy (PWE) have cognitive impairment affecting health, productivity, and quality of life,” wrote lead study author Nicholas Alexius Streltzov,…
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A new study suggests that people with epilepsy associated with head injuries, especially the type not well controlled by medication, are more likely to have other health conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), back pain and headache that may result in them reporting a lower quality of life. Read the full article here
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Epilepsy Foundation announced that Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed House Bill 241 into law on March 23, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 173 into law on March 25, thereby protecting children and teens living with the epilepsies in both states. With the passage of these bills, the Foundation, along with key partners, state legislators, and…
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There’s considerable interest in using cannabis-based medications to help treat drug resistant epilepsy, but clinicians have little guidance on how or when to prescribe these products. A working group comprised of pediatric and adult epilepsy specialists, clinical pharmacists, pharmacologists, and cannabis researchers from across Australia recently developed an interim “consensus advise” for prescribers and published…
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