Participate in Epilepsy Research*
The following are current studies that our colleagues in the field are conducting and they need your help to spread the word. Participate in epilepsy research and help to develop improved treatments and find a cure! To learn more about clinical trials, visit the Clinical Trials page of our website.
PROSPER-Study
This is a clinical research study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Oxcarbazepine extended-release (XR) tablets as treatment for partial epilepsy, an investigational medication that people can take in addition to their current medications for epilepsy. Qualifications: 18 to 65 years of age, have a diagnosis of partial epilepsy, currently taking up to three antiepileptic drugs, and weigh at least 91 lbs. Study participants will receive the following at no cost: study-related medical care, study-related medication or placebo (an inactive “look-alike” pill), and monitoring by a medical team. To learn more about the PROSPER study, call 866-692-1317 or visit www.MyEpilepsyStudy.com. Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project
The Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP) is the largest research study ever created to identify genes that influence epilepsy and genes that affect an individual’s response to seizure medications. The National Institutes of Health is partnering with major epilepsy centers around the country in order to understand what causes epilepsy, which treatment will be effective, and why some families have multiple relatives with seizures. For more information, please contact EPGP at toll-free phone: 1-888-279-EPGP, website: www.epgp.org, or e-mail: info@epgp.org. Family Studies in Epilepsy
Under the direction of David A. Greenberg, PhD, at Columbia University, this research is being conducted to determine the causes of inherited forms of epilepsy. Study participation takes less than two hours and includes completion of the consent form, family interviews to collect clinical history and a saliva sample from each participant. For more information, call 212-342-0484 or visit the study website www.geneticsofepilepsy.org. Evaluation and Treatment of Patients With Epilepsy
This study has three purposes: 1) to screen patients with seizures for participation in research studies of NINDS's Clinical Epilepsy Section (CES), 2) to follow the natural course of seizure disorders and 3) to train CES fellows in evaluating and treating epilepsy. Only standard diagnostic tests and treatments will be used in this study. Patients of any age with seizures who are referred to CES may participate in this study. At the end of the study, patients may be discharged to the care of their referring physician, offered participation in another NINDS research study, or followed for teaching purposes. Contact Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office at NIH (800) 411-1222 prpl@mail.cc.nih.gov. To read more about this study, click here.
*This listing of epilepsy studies is for information purposes only; and the reader assumes full responsibility and risk for the appropriate use of the information provided. The information concerning the study was sent to the Epilepsy Foundation by the investigator or staff conducting the research. The Epilepsy Foundation, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees and agents do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and specifically disclaims any liability therefore.
or give us a call at 1-800-332-1000.
Meritorious Research
New Therapy Research Grants
A collaborative program among Epilepsy Foundation and Epilepsy Therapy Project
Nathan Fountain, M.D.
University of Virginia
Proof of Principle Trial: 2-deoxy-D-glucose for intractable seizures
$149,699 for 2 years
This project will conduct a preliminary human clinical trial to determine if 2DG, an analogue of normal sugar that blocks sugar metabolism, reduces frequent seizures. Despite 11 new drugs for epilepsy since 1990, ~50% of patients have recurring seizures and ~15% remain intractable. 2DG has novel acute anticonvulsant and chronic antiepileptic actions, including enhanced delivery into brain regions undergoing seizures, enabling effective “post-seizure” treatment. 2DG is distinctive compared to all currently marketed anticonvulsants, and appears to have potential to increase the number of patients who achieve control. In addition, 2DG favorably modifies adverse consequences in patients in whom complete control is not achieved. This project is important pre-clinical research that will be conducted under an Investigational New Drug application from FDA.
This project is supported by Milken Family Foundation.
James Cloyd, Pharm.D.
University of Minnesota
Supplemental Request: Development of IV Topiramate for Neonatal Seizures
$74,541 for 8 months
An estimated 15,000 neonates have seizures, which cause brain injury and death. Current therapy is only partially effective and is associated with serious adverse effects. The goal of this project is to develop intravenous topiramate, which shows promise in laboratory animals, as a therapy to protect newborn babies from seizures and brain cell injuries. Dr. Cloyd has made great progress with this study, which the Foundation began to support in 2007. This supplemental award will fund a study of pharmacokinetics for IV topiramate in adults, which is necessary before conducting a study on neonates.
Partnership for Pediatric Epilepsy Research
A collaborative program among Epilepsy Foundation and American Epilepsy Society
Each award $50,000 for one year
Mathew Jones, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mechanisms of Childhood Absence Epilepsy in GEFS+ Knock-in Mice
The overall goal of this research is to understand the precise sequence of events in the brain that cause seizures in Childhood Absence Epilepsy (CAE). Absence seizures are pathological reverberations between the thalamus and cortex. These studies will reveal how malfunctions in thalamocortical signal processing can give rise to pathological rhythms and will suggest ways to predict, and ideally, prevent absence seizures.
Andre Lagrange, M.D. Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Regulation of Neuronal Development by RNA Editing of GABA-A Receptors
GABA is a major developmental signal in the embryonic brain, but is also the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain. RNA editing produces a developmentally regulated change in the protein sequence of a major isoform of the GABA(A) receptor. Based on the spatial and temporal expression patterns of this isoform, it likely plays important roles in normal development, as well as a number of normal and pathophysiological processes, such as sleep and epilepsy.
Yogendra H Raol, Ph.D.
University of Colorado Denver
Potassium channel opener for the treatment of neonatal seizures
The risk of seizures is highest in the neonatal period and survivors often experience long-term neurological problems. Current available drugs are poorly effective in treating neonatal seizures and are associated with side effects. Recent research studies suggest significant differences between the developing and mature brain that could provide better targets for treatment specifically designed to treat seizures that occur during development. This research will study the efficacy of flupirtine, a potassium channel opener that may be uniquely effective for the treatment of neonatal seizures due to the important role potassium channels play in controlling brain excitability during early-life.
Santina Agnes Zanelli, M.D.
University of Virginia
Novel therapeutic option for hypoxia-induced seizures in the neonatal brain
One of the most devastating problems babies can encounter around the time of birth is oxygen deprivation to the brain. This disorder, called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, can affect 1 to 2 per 1000 newborns. It is the single most important cause of brain injury and seizures in the neonatal period. Understanding how lack of oxygen injures the baby’s brain and leads to seizures is essential for the development of effective treatments for this condition. Previous research studies indicate that a potassium channel may be involved in this phenomenon. This work will test whether this channel represents a possible novel therapeutic target for the treatment of seizures caused by lack of oxygen in newborns. This will represent an important step towards developing more effective treatments to improve the outcomes of newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and resulting seizures.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with epilepsy. This mission includes funding research initiatives that seek to treat and prevent epilepsy in patients.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan has established the Michigan Epilepsy Research Fund, and seeded it with $10,000 in 2008. This fund will allow the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan to support research through the Epilepsy Foundation of America and its partnerships, such as the Epilepsy Research Foundation, a partnership of the Epilepsy Foundation and the Epilepsy Therapy Development Project.
The Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan recognizes that we have several world-class research institutions and scientists in our state, and we'd like to support them, as we want to see Michigan become a leader in epilepsy research. In addition, we recognize that we need to encourage more young people to take an interest in neurology, and the national research program has done an exceptional job of bringing young researchers into the field.
In 2008, the Epilepsy Foundation of America awarded three Michigan researchers that should be noted:
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 Lori L. Ison, Ph.D, University of Michigan, earned a $75,000 award from a partnership of the Epilepsy Foundation, the American Epilepsy Society, and Parents Against Childhood Epilepsy, to study the role of sodium channel SCN1B in pediatric epilepsy. The results of the research will contribute to the understanding of normal brain functions, as well as how mutations in the gene lead to human pediatric epilepsy.
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Daniel Tice Barkmeister, Wayne State University, received a $20,000 pre-doctoral research training fellowship to study translating human gene expression profiles of interictal spiking into a rat model (Jeffrey A. Loeb, MD, Ph.D, Preceptor). One of the major challenges in developing effective seizure medications comes from animal models of disease that fail to mimic human disorder. The closer the animal model is to the human disorder, the more likely a new drug developed using that model will actually work in patients with epilepsy. Funding for this project will help determine if this new model can identify new drugs to reduce seizures or even prevent epilepsy.
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Michelle Kro, University of Michigan, was given a $20,000 pre-doctoral research training fellowship  to study the role of adult neurogenesis in hippocampal remodeling and hyperexcitability during pilocarpine-induced epileptogenesis (Jack M. Mparent, MD, Preceptor). This study seeks to identify changes in the brain that lead to experimental mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, specifically those at the cellular level that may involve neural stem cells. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common type of intractable epilepsy in young adults.
Research in the News
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