A new survey, carried out by YouGov on adults (18 years +) in Great Britain, has suggested that over a quarter of people (26%) would be concerned about working with a co-worker with epilepsy.
Stacey McClean tells Kami Kountcheva about her mum’s epilepsy, learning about the condition and seeing a loved one have a seizure
What do zebrafish and antihistamine have in common? Surprisingly, it’s epilepsy! According to a report on the Nature website, scientists have found that seizures in zebrafish can be controlled by giving them clemizole, an antihistamine drug that’s been around since the 1950s.
A man with epilepsy was left feeling “angry and frustrated” after having a seizure in a police cell. According to reports, the police had refused to let him have his epilepsy medication. As a result, the man had two seizures. He was eventually taken to hospital.
A research study says that seizures can be predicted with a new device. The device is put in the brain, and is able to give a warning that a seizure is coming. The study was only small, but could prove to be an exciting development for people with epilepsy.
The device, once inside the brain, predicted seizures in some adults who have epilepsy that can’t be controlled by anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). “Knowing when a seizure might happen could dramatically improve the quality of life and independence of people with epilepsy,” said lead author Mark Cook from the University of Melbourne in Australia.
A small study in Japan has found that the number of seizure patients increased in the weeks following the tsunami in March 2011.
The report is published in Epilepsia and refers to Kesennuma City, a small fishing community in north-eastern Japan. It found that 13 people were admitted with seizures in the eight weeks after the natural disaster. Only one person had been admitted in the eight weeks before.
Scientists working at University College London have cured epilepsy in rats by adding a special ‘calm down’ gene. The gene stops groups of neurons (brain cells) becoming too excited – and prevents seizures.
According to a report on BBC News, the researchers have developed two ways of manipulating the behavior of individual cells inside the brain in order to prevent seizures.
A collaboration between a UK research team and international medicine manufacturers may lead to a ‘milestone’ treatment for epilepsy. This treatment appears more bearable than current epilepsy medicines – and is based on cannabis.
We have learned this morning that the music video for Kanye West’s latest single, All of the Lights, has been taken off YouTube.
People with photosensitive epilepsy should not watch the music video for Kanye West’s latest single, All of the Lights, as it contains extensive use of flashing imagery.
