This week Epilepsy Research UK is supporting #BrainAwarenessWeek – a global campaign organised by the DANA Foundation which aims to increase public awareness and support for brain research.
A life free from epilepsy is possible. Together we can achieve this through research.
Epilepsy Research UK is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 4873718.
Registered Office: Epilepsy Research UK, 7-14 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of epilepsy in adults. TLE is characterised by seizures that originate within a structure of the brain known as the hippocampal formation, which includes the hippocampus. This network plays a crucial role in memory, spatial awareness, and the control of attention.
TLE is extremely difficult to treat with existing antiepileptic drugs, and surgical methods are often neither appropriate nor effective. Epilepsy Research UK is funding a project led by Dr Alfredo Gonzalez to research the use of optogenetics to block seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy. Optogenetics is a cutting-edge technique, which allows researchers to control the activity of specific sets of neurons using light. You can find out more about optogenetics and how it works in Dr Gonzalez’s Research Blog here.
Seizures happen when there is an uncontrolled burst of electrical activity between brain cells and the brain cannot prevent it from spreading across multiple regions. An effective therapeutic approach that has recently been developed involves reducing the bursts of electrical activity between brain cells by genetically manipulating ‘excitatory’ brain cells at the origin of the seizure.
Epilepsy Research UK is funding a project led by Dr Vincent Magloire to see whether this therapeutic approach can stop both focal (seizures affecting one hemisphere of the brain) and generalised seizures (seizures affecting both hemispheres of the brain at the same time) at their origin. You can find out more about Dr Magloire’s project here.
Focal epilepsy is characterised by seizures that affect a specific region in one side of the brain, where consciousness may be altered but is not lost. Locating this region can be difficult and surgery to remove the seizure focus may not always be an option. Research funded by Epilepsy Research UK and led by Dr Antonio Valentin has investigated how electrical brain stimulation can be used to treat focal epilepsy. Dr Valentin’s technique has huge potential to not only improve quality of life but also to help reduce epilepsy-related injuries and healthcare costs. Read more about Dr Valentin’s project here.
