NIH Conference Focuses on Finding a Cure for Epilepsy

By Lisa Boylan, EpilepsyUSA Managing Editor

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of NIH, recently sponsored a conference, Curing Epilepsy 2007: Translating Discoveries into Therapies, designed to evaluate and explore the latest research on epilepsy. Scientists, academic researchers, physicians and patient advocates from around the world gave presentations on a comprehensive array of topics that delved into epilepsy’s effects on the entire patient, including mental health issues; the causes and progressions of the disorder; emerging technologies; the promise of gene therapy; and the continuing social stigma associated with the disorder.

Conference co-chair, John Swann, Ph.D., noted the strides that have been made since the first conference in terms of understanding how epilepsy develops (epileptogenesis). He said one of the most innovative aspects of the conference was the patient speeches that began each session. Denise Pease, Epilepsy Foundation board member, opened a session by describing a debilitating brain injury she suffered during a car accident. The injury later developed into epilepsy. She said, “I went from being a vibrant woman with a bright future to being a candidate for an extended adult care facility.” It took years to get a correct diagnosis of epilepsy, and an additional five years for her to find the right medications.

William Turk, M.D., chair-elect of the Epilepsy Foundation’s Professional Advisory Board, lauded the scientific presentations, saying that they were “truly the cutting edge of every field, whether it was genetics, basic mechanisms of epilepsy and neuroimaging.” He was also encouraged by the dedication and commitment to epilepsy research spearheaded by NINDS director, Story Landis, Ph.D., and implemented by conference organizer, Margaret Jacobs.

NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D., delivered the keynote address, emphasizing his professional commitment to epilepsy as well as a personal one—he has a close relative with the disorder.

The primary goal of the conference was to foster research to improve diagnosis and treatments that might one day lead to a cure. Dr. Turk said, “We haven’t found the magic bullet yet, but it takes sequential effort in terms of science and understanding the brain.” He added, “There is a whole community that is truly focused on finding a cure for epilepsy.”

Bruce Hermann, M.D. chair of the Epilepsy Foundation’s Professional Advisory Board, participated in a panel at the conference on cognitive and psychological issues in epilepsy, a topic not included in the previous conference seven years ago.

Participants met on the second day of the conference to create benchmarks—goals to strive toward that will be carefully monitored by NIH. Dr. Hermann said, “One of the major developments for the epilepsy community is the inclusion of comorbidities [depression, anxiety, psycho-social concerns, stigma and learning disabilities] in the benchmarks.”

Other benchmarks include continuing the study of how epilepsy develops in order to manage the disorder earlier, or prevent it altogether, and developing drugs that could prevent seizures before they occur.