Pregnancy and early childhood are critical periods for the development of a child’s brain – and for the development of epilepsy.
Epilepsies that start in childhood are sometimes caused by faulty genes and may go hand-in-hand with the onset of other conditions such as autism. We also know that anti-seizure medications taken by the mother during pregnancy can sometimes affect the physical and mental development of unborn children. Furthermore, it’s possible that susceptibility for developing epilepsy may be passed on from parent to child.
With these challenges come opportunities for research. If we better understand exactly how these complex problems are caused, we can find new ways to treat epilepsy – and maybe even prevent it.
Strengthening the epilepsy research community
Despite the challenges people face, for too long epilepsy has not received the research focus or funding it deserves.
To make up for this, we’re not only investing money, but also attracting talent and keeping the best scientific minds to work on epilepsy. By doing so, we’ll strengthen the epilepsy research community, so they can find the answers people desperately need.
One way we do this is by organising ‘Navigator Symposiums’: one-day meetings bringing researchers working in epilepsy together, to share their ideas and start collaborations.
Each symposium focuses on a different theme, and on Thursday 13 March 2025, we hosted the Navigator Symposium on Reproduction & Neurodevelopment, to understand how epilepsy develops during pregnancy and early childhood. This event was chaired by Dr Amy Richardson, Epilepsy Research Institute Emerging Leader Fellow and Reproduction & Hormones Early Career Theme Lead (University College London) and Professor Laura Andreae, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience (King’s College London).
Navigator Symposium on Reproduction & Neurodevelopment
The keynote speaker at this event was Dr Rebecca Bromley from the University of Manchester. Dr Bromley’s research was instrumental in showing that the anti-seizure drug sodium valproate, if taken during pregnancy, can increase rates of physical birth defects and life-long cognitive difficulties in babies.
This remains a hugely relevant topic today, just over a year after the ‘Hughes Report’, which outlined the options for compensation of people affected by the sodium valproate scandal, and other areas of avoidable medical harm.
Together with Dr Matthew Bluett-Duncan, Dr Bromley explained the history of sodium valproate and emphasised the urgent need for further research into the neurodevelopmental effects of other anti-seizure medications. To help address this gap, Dr Bromley and Professor Simon Keller are leading the Epilepsy Research Institute-funded Doctoral Training Centre, jointly based at the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool. The centre includes six PhD projects focused on understanding how epilepsy—and its treatment—affect cognitive development in both people with epilepsy and their offspring.
Additional highlights from the Navigator Symposium include:
Facing challenges together
Our Navigator Symposium on Reproduction & Neurodevelopment successfully brought together scientists to help them share learnings, foster national and international collaborations, and spark new ideas. The Epilepsy Research Institute will highlight further research in this area at our upcoming May conference, featuring dedicated sessions on Neurodevelopment and Reproduction & Hormones. For full programme details and to purchase tickets, please visit our website.
All of this will help researchers address the challenges faced by people with epilepsy, so that, one day, everyone can live a life free from seizures.
Find out more about the Epilepsy Research Institute’s work in Reproduction & Hormones, and Neurodevelopment.
