For many families, navigating a diagnosis of epilepsy is a journey filled with uncertainty, hope, and resilience. Christophe recently shared the emotional and medical journey of his son’s epilepsy, and his hopes for future research. “Epilepsy has had a profound impact on my son’s life,” Christophe says. “Even once his condition stabilised, the heavy mix of anti-seizure medication has significantly affected his ability to focus, as well as his speech, mood and levels of fatigue.
“These side effects impact every aspect of his daily life, from his education and social interactions to his emotional wellbeing and communication.”
As Christophe’s story highlights, seizures are not the only challenge that people with epilepsy face. Seizures and the medications used to control them can have a big effect on cognition – a person’s thinking, memory, and ability to focus.
In addition, it’s well-known that epilepsy often appears alongside neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We also know that some anti-seizures medications, if taken during pregnancy, might also affect the developing brain of the unborn child.
The impact on the brain of epilepsy and its treatments is a huge concern for people with epilepsy. It’s vital we understand the link between epilepsy and cognition better, so we can identify who is at risk of developing epilepsy and provide tailored information about the medication they might take.
A better understanding of how seizures and medication affect the brain could also lead to better treatments that have fewer side-effects.
All this work aims to reduce the impact that epilepsy has on people’s lives – people like Christophe and his son. That’s why the Epilepsy Research Institute has made this area of work a priority, under one of our key research themes ‘Neurodevelopment’.
One example of our work in this area is the newly established Doctoral Training Centre, jointly led by the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester. In this Doctoral Training Centre, six PhD students will study the interaction between epilepsy and cognition, in three different areas:
“People with epilepsy often experience challenges with cognition and, despite the importance of this topic for people affected by the condition, research has been largely overlooked,” says Dr Rebecca Bromley, one of the co-leaders of the research programme. “Our Doctoral Training Centre will combine world-leading expertise in pre-clinical and clinical brain research in order to answer these important questions.”
Investment in research is vital
Thanks to your donations, the Epilepsy Research Institute is investing in research in this area so that we can reduce the burden of epilepsy – so that people like Christophe and his son can have the normal life they deserve.
“Research into the relationship between epilepsy, anti-seizure medication and neurodevelopment is crucial,” says Christophe, “not only to better understand these impacts but also to create tools and resources that can help parents, carers, and educators support children affected by epilepsy and any neurodevelopmental delays they may experience.”
Find out more about Neurodevelopment, one of our key themes for research at the Epilepsy Research Institute.
Make a donation today to support the Institute’s vital work in this area.
