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The Latest Epilepsy Research

CURE Epilepsy is dedicated to funding patient-focused research to find a cure for the 65 million people with epilepsy worldwide. This month, we share the following articles and abstracts which are furthering the study of epilepsy and bringing the world closer to a cure.

This issue of Epilepsy Research News includes summaries of articles on:

• New Method Developed for Triggering and Imaging Seizures in Epilepsy Patients

• Study Reveals Key Mechanisms of a Rare Form of Epilepsy

• Transcriptomic Alterations in Cortical Astrocytes Following the Development of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE)

• Praxis Precision Medicines Reports Positive Results of PRAX-628 Study Evaluating Photo Paroxysmal Response (PPR) Achieving 100% Response in Treated Patients

  
  

New Method Developed for Triggering and Imaging Seizures in Epilepsy Patients

*Featuring work from CURE Epilepsy Grantee Dr. Maxime O. Baud

Researchers have developed a new method for triggering and imaging seizures in epilepsy patients, offering physicians the ability to collect real-time data to tailor epilepsy surgery. The goal of epilepsy surgery is to remove the epileptic brain tissue and spare the healthy tissue to control seizures but avoid neurological deficits. Authors used stereotactic electroencephalography (sEEG) leads in targeted brain areas and an imaging approach called ictal SPECT to trigger and image patient-typical seizures.

Study Reveals Key Mechanisms of a Rare Form of Epilepsy

*Featuring work by CURE Epilepsy Grantees, Drs. Edward Cooper and Jeffrey Noebels

New research is advancing the understanding of KCNQ2 encephalopathy. "KCNQ2 encephalopathy is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by variants in the KCNQ2 gene, which provides the recipe for a type of brain potassium channel," explains lead author Timothy Abreo, a student in the Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, US. "The disorder usually manifests as seizures beginning within days after birth and developmental delays which are lifelong and without effective current treatment." Newly identified variants in the KCNQ2 gene are hard to assess because not every variant is disease-causing, and the reasons some variants lead to illness have been poorly understood.

Transcriptomic Alterations in Cortical Astrocytes Following the Development of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE)

*Featuring work of CURE Epilepsy Grantees, Drs. Michelle Olsen and Michelle Theus

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of disability and death worldwide, resulting from various accidents, sports-related injuries, and military combat situations. TBI can trigger long-term neurological complications, including PTE. Astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the brain, release pro-inflammatory molecules in response to brain injury and may contribute to the development of an epileptogenic environment in the brain.

Praxis Precision Medicines Reports Positive Results of PRAX-628 Study Evaluating Photo Paroxysmal Response (PPR) Achieving 100% Response in Treated Patients

Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. provided an update on its Phase 2a proof of concept study evaluating PRAX-628 in epilepsy patients. The study used photo paroxysmal response (PPR) to stimulate seizure activity and measured changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) signatures as an indicator of anti-seizure efficacy of the potential new treatment for epilepsy. Patient EEG signatures were assessed at defined measurement points over a 24-hour period after receiving placebo or PRAX-628, and results were compared to baseline.

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