epilepsy
New $2 million NIH grant advances less invasive procedure for TLE
Feb. 16, 2021—A Vanderbilt research team has received a $2 million National Institutes of Health grant to further develop a needle-size robotic surgery system with real-time MRI guidance for drug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Such a procedure has the potential to reduce or eliminate seizures using a minimally invasive approach over the current standard of care,...
Inflammation in genetic epilepsy
Jan. 21, 2021—Brain inflammation links genetic and acquired epilepsy — providing new clues about epilepsy development and pointing to potential treatments.
Single mutation causes seizure disorder
Jun. 22, 2020—A single mutation in one gene can impair inhibitory signaling in the brain and cause multiple types of seizures and behavioral abnormalities.
A new anti-seizure target?
Dec. 12, 2019—Vanderbilt neurologists have identified a protein modification that could be targeted to reduce neuronal excitability in epilepsy.
Blueprint for treating epilepsy
Nov. 14, 2019—Structural details of a protein that is essential to normal brain function could improve treatments for epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
Team discovers one more piece to the autism puzzle
Oct. 3, 2019—Vanderbilt investigators have linked genetic mutations in a single receptor to epilepsy, autism and intellectual disability.
Astrocytes and epilepsy
Sep. 9, 2019—A protein with important functions in astrocytes — star-shaped brain support cells — may alter neuronal excitability and contribute to seizure activity, Vanderbilt researchers report.
Chang, Englot receive $3M NIH grant for epilepsy imaging work
Aug. 29, 2019—A team led by an engineering professor who specializes in techniques to analyze functional neuroimaging data and a neurosurgeon-scientist has received a $3 million National Institutes of Health grant for epilepsy research.
Research reveals underappreciated role of brainstem in epilepsy
May. 31, 2018—New research from Vanderbilt suggests that repeated seizures reduce brainstem connectivity, a possible contributor to unexplained neurocognitive problems in epilepsy patients.
Cannabis compound reduces seizures
Feb. 26, 2018—Cannabidiol (CBD) oils reduced seizures in patients with difficult-to-treat epilepsy, Vanderbilt investigators have found.
Neurostimulation an option for some epilepsy patients
Sep. 28, 2017—Patients with epilepsy who suffer seizures that can’t be effectively treated with medications or established surgical interventions could benefit from responsive neurostimulation, a relatively new treatment.
Goal of new tissue-chip research is to assess efficacy of novel epilepsy drugs
Sep. 20, 2017—An interdisciplinary team of Vanderbilt University researchers has received a two-year, $2-million federal grant to develop an “organ-on-chip” model for two genetic forms of epilepsy.