New Scan A ‘Paradigm Shift’ in Epilepsy Research

An innovative new study merges engineering and clinical expertise to develop a revolutionary method to diagnose and treat epilepsy patients.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic believe a new type of non-invasive brain scan — taken immediately after a seizure — will provide advanced insight into possible causes and treatments for epilepsy patients.

The new findings could benefit millions of people who are unable to control their epilepsy with medication.

The research is published online in the journal Brain.

Researchers say the study resulted in several significant findings:

Important data about brain function can be gathered through non-invasive methods, not only during a seizure, but immediately after a seizure;
The frontal lobe of the brain is most involved in severe seizures;
Seizures in the temporal lobe are most common among adults. The new technique used in the study will help determine the side of the brain where the seizures originate.

“This is the first-ever study where new non-invasive methods were used to study patients after a seizure instead of during a seizure,” said Dr. Bin He, a biomedical engineering professor in the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering and senior author of the study. “It’s really a paradigm shift for research in epilepsy.”

Epilepsy affects nearly 3 million Americans and 50 million people worldwide. Although medications and other treatments help many people of all ages who live with epilepsy, about 1 million people in the U.S. and 17 million people worldwide continue to have seizures that can severely limit their lives.