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Epilepsy Research
News
October 2025
This month, we share the following articles and abstracts which are furthering the study of epilepsy and bringing the world closer to a cure.
* 30 Years of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Research: Where Do We Stand? ([link removed])
* AI Tool Helps Researchers Treat Child Epilepsy ([link removed])
* Distinct T Cell Dysregulation Reflects Disease Severity and Progression in Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome ([link removed])
* Atenolol Rescues Premature Mortality in Genetic Mouse Models of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) ([link removed])
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** 30 Years of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Research: Where Do We Stand?
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For decades, researchers have worked to unravel the mysteries of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), a form of epilepsy that emerges after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). PTE accounts for up to 20% of acquired epilepsies and is difficult to treat. Patients often require multiple antiseizure medications, and many are not candidates for surgery. The condition can take years to manifest, making early diagnosis and intervention a challenge.
A recent publication reviewed potential therapies, including traditional antiseizure medications, plus new approaches like neurosteroids, epigenetic drugs, and network pharmacology.
“We’re moving beyond symptom control,” Texas A&M University neuroscientist Dr. Samba Reddy said. “We’re looking at disease modification, changing the trajectory of epilepsy before it starts.”
Learn More ([link removed])
** AI Tool Helps Researchers Treat Child Epilepsy
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Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool that has the potential to cure a form of treatment-resistant epilepsy. The tool can identify small focal cortical dysplasias on imaging that are typically missed by radiologists. These lesions can cause recurring seizures, and an accurate imaging assessment can assist surgeons in removing them, which often results in seizure cessation.
“Cortical dysplasias can be impossible for traditional MRI techniques to identify,” Emma MacDonald-Laurs, MD, a neurologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, said regarding her team’s findings. “Failure to locate the abnormal tissue slows the pathway to a definitive diagnosis and may stop a child from being referred for potentially curative epilepsy surgery.”
Researchers trained the tool using MRI and FDG-PET imaging from 54 patients who had been diagnosed with both focal epilepsy and bottom-of-sulcus dysplasia. The group extracted 12 imaging features to determine which best distinguished dysplastic from normal-appearing brain tissue, using those to refine the model’s detection capabilities.
Learn More ([link removed])
** Distinct T Cell Dysregulation Reflects Disease Severity and Progression in Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
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Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), including Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome (IESS) and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), are severe pediatric conditions characterized by profound developmental delays and treatment-resistant epilepsy.
LGS, typically diagnosed between 3 and 5 years of age, is a severe childhood-onset epilepsy that often develops from earlier epileptic syndromes such as IESS. It is characterized by its complex seizure types and distinctive electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, particularly slow spike-and-wave complexes. The transition from IESS to LGS in some patients represents significant, yet poorly understood, clinical progression within DEE.
Recent research has increasingly focused on the role of the immune system in the pathophysiology of epilepsies, including DEE. Although steroid therapies provide some clinical benefits, the underlying immunological mechanisms remain poorly understood. In a recent study, researchers performed comprehensive immune profiling to identify distinct patterns of immune dysregulation, focused on specific immune cells called T cells. These unique cells release substances called cytokines. One of several findings from the study was that children with IESS and LGS had T cell characteristics and cytokine profiles that were distinct from children who did not have epilepsy.
Learn More ([link removed])
** Atenolol Rescues Premature Mortality in Genetic Mouse Models of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)
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A study from CURE Epilepsy grantee Dr. Christopher Reid, investigates the genetic underpinnings of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) and explores a promising preventative strategy. The researchers focused on mutations in cardiac ion channels—known to cause abnormal heart rhythms—which are found in some individuals with SUDEP and may contribute to an elevated risk of SUDEP.
To test this hypothesis, they developed novel mouse models by combining epilepsy-related genetic mutations with a mutation in a heart ion channel that disrupts normal cardiac rhythm. These mice were significantly more likely to die from seizures compared to those with functional heart channels, providing compelling evidence that cardiac-related genetic factors can increase SUDEP risk.
Learn More ([link removed])
** Check out the latest…
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Seizing Life Podcast 🎙️
Turning the Tragedy of SUDEP into Hope: The Story of the Joanna Sophia Foundation ([link removed])
Epilepsy Explained 🧪
Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy Explained ([link removed])
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