University of Utah medical researchers have identified a gene with mutations that cause febrile seizures and contribute to a severe form of epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome in some of the most vulnerable patients – infants 6 months and younger.

Lucy Murphy, 9, eats a very fatty diet to reduce her epileptic seizures.

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have identified a new anticonvulsant compound that has the potential to stop the seizure progression in epileptic patients. The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Epilepsia.

Epilepsy is a common medical condition characterized by convulsions and short periods of confusion. It affects more than 50 million people worldwide. But intractable epilepsy, which affects more than 1 million Americans and is often resistant to drug treatment and surgery, is arguably worse.

An important clinical repercussion in the treatment of epilepsy has been discovered by a research team led by Scott Mintzer, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.

Two children have a seizure. One child never has another seizure. Twenty years later, the other child has a series of seizures and is diagnosed with epilepsy.

Subject to sudden unexpected seizures, epileptics are often a subject of discrimination in the workforce. Many employers are hesitant to hire epileptics, fearing that stressful workplace situations might bring on an attack. But a new Tel Aviv University study suggests these fears are groundless.

UCB today announced findings from new studies of the once-daily antiepileptic drug (AED) Keppra XR™ (levetiracetam) extended-release tablets comparing tolerability vs. levetiracetam immediate release 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 in Seattle.

Medical specialists at the nation's largest professional meeting on epilepsy discussed multiple questions and concerns they have about data presented by the FDA in support of its recent suicide alert on anticonvulsant drugs (AEDs) and the potential effect of the federal agency's analyses on clinical practice and the way AED drug trials are to be conducted in the future.

Rice University researchers have found a potential clue to the roots of epilepsy, autism, schizophrenia and other neurological disorders.

Early diagnosis and treatment that quickly achieves seizure freedom with nominal side effects is the key goal to epilepsy management. Three studies highlighted at the AES annual meeting address this goal from different vantage points:

Patients treated for their prolonged seizures with the sedative propofol may be at high risk for complications and even death.