Epilepsy

Autoimmune Mechanisms May Explain Some Drug-Resistant Focal Epilepsy

June 27, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 review in Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine argues that autoimmune mechanisms may explain a subset of drug-resistant focal epilepsy, especially when seizures persist despite standard antiseizure drugs and immune markers are present. Key Findings Drug resistance definition: Drug-resistant epilepsy was defined as persistent seizures despite at least two appropriately selected, tolerated, …

ADAS-Cog-13 Flagged Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults With Focal Epilepsy

June 27, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv found that the ADAS-Cog-13 cognitive scale detected impairment in older adults with focal epilepsy, but a cutoff of 15 had only modest diagnostic accuracy against an epilepsy-specific neuropsychological standard. Key Findings 83 epilepsy patients: The study analyzed adults older than 55 with focal epilepsy from the Brain, Aging, and …

SYNGAP1 Atypical Absence Seizures Linked to Higher Autistic Behavior Scores

June 23, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv linked atypical absence seizures in SYNGAP1-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (SYNGAP1-DEE) to higher caregiver-reported autistic behavior scores, while caregiver-reported peak seizure frequency did not show the same association. Key Findings 337-person analytic cohort: Researchers analyzed 337 SYNGAP1 registry participants with complete epilepsy and behavior questionnaires. 259 epilepsy-positive participants: Epilepsy …

Neural Extracellular Matrix Remodeling Shapes Neurological Disease and Brain Plasticity

June 21, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 review in Nature Reviews Neurology argued that neural extracellular matrix (ECM), the protein-and-glycan scaffold around central nervous system cells, is an active regulator of brain plasticity and neurological disease. Key Findings Multiple ECM forms: The review describes perineuronal nets, perisynaptic ECM, periaxonal coats, and diffuse interstitial ECM. Brain function link: Neural ECM …

Resting-State EEG Network Markers Distinguished Epilepsy From Functional Seizures

July 9, 2026June 19, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint found that multivariate resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) network markers separated non-lesional epilepsy from functional/dissociative seizures above chance, but the best model was stronger at identifying epilepsy than at identifying functional/dissociative seizures. Key Findings 148 suspected seizure cases: Researchers analyzed medication-free, visually normal, eyes-closed EEG recordings from 75 people later diagnosed with …

VNS Reduced Seizures After Failed Epilepsy Surgery in CORE-VNS

June 8, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint in medRxiv from the CORE-VNS study reported that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), a neuromodulation therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy, produced similar 36-month seizure reductions in people with and without prior intracranial epilepsy surgery. Key Findings 531 VNS implants: The analysis included 531 people with drug-resistant epilepsy who received an initial VNS implant …

Subgaleal ISP Stimulation Reduced Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy Seizures

June 7, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint reported that closed-loop subgaleal intersectional short-pulse stimulation reduced seizure duration and rapidly lowered seizure incidence in a small first-in-human treatment-resistant epilepsy study. Key Findings Subgaleal implantation reached 13 patients: Researchers enrolled 15 adults, 2 withdrew before implantation, and 13 underwent subgaleal electrode implantation and inpatient monitoring. 2,283 hours of video-EEG …

400 mg Powdered CBD Formulation Absorbed Faster Than Epidyolex

June 3, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 Phase I study in CNS Drugs found that a 400 mg powdered cannabidiol (CBD) formulation reached peak blood levels faster than oil-based Epidyolex, especially after a high-fat meal, while both products were generally well tolerated in healthy adults. Key Findings Four-way crossover trial: Researchers gave 32 healthy adults single 400 mg doses …

AT(N) Blood Biomarkers Were Often Abnormal in Older Adults With Epilepsy

May 23, 2026 by BrainASAP

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint applied the AT(N) framework, an Alzheimer’s disease biomarker system for amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration, to 84 older adults with focal epilepsy and found that only 32.1% had normal blood biomarkers, while early-onset epilepsy carried higher odds of biomarker abnormality. Key Findings Epilepsy cohort: Researchers analyzed focal epilepsy participants from the …

Astrocyte BMP Suppression Reduced Audiogenic Seizures in Fragile X Mice

May 15, 2026May 3, 2026 by BrainASAP

Astrocyte BMP Suppression Eased Fragile X Signals TL;DR: In a fragile X mouse model, suppressing BMP signaling specifically in astrocytes reduced sound-triggered seizure severity and partially restored synaptic activity in the auditory cortex, a sound-processing region relevant to sensory over-responsiveness. Key Findings BMP signaling was elevated in fragile X astrocytes: The study focused on bone …

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