Scientists working on cure for Epilepsy

The National Institutes of Health and other organizations have concluded a weekend conference to discuss new diagnostic techniques and treatments for epilepsy.The conference, entitled "Curing Epilepsy 2007: Translating Discoveries Into Therapies," brought together patients and researchers to work towards finding a cure.

Recent research has focused on understanding how epilepsy develops, new ways to prevent epilepsy in individuals at risk, and increasing the number of therapies to prevent seizures without side effects. One area of promise is the variety of new antiepileptic drugs and other approaches now being tested in clinical studies. Studies have also led to increased knowledge of the causes of epilepsy, enabling scientists to better identify the focus of the seizure activity in the brain. The sessions covered a variety of topics, including:

Epilepsy's effects on the entire patient including mental health and cognitive abilities

The various causes and the progression of the disorder

New and more powerful diagnostic tests and procedures

The promise of gene therapy People from across the country participated in the 2007 National Walk for Epilepsy Saturday to raise awareness and money towards finding a cure.Epilepsy is a disabling and often fatal disorder, which affects people of all ages - from newborns to seniors. There are approximately 3 million people with epilepsy in the United States and each year about 200,000 new cases are diagnosed.