A new groundbreaking study may have discovered a non-invasive way to scan the brain after an epileptic fit — a scan that may be able to figure out what caused the seizure. This could potentially help millions of epileptics to be able to control their seizures without potentially harmful medications like Topamax.

This study was conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota, biomedical engineers and the Mayo Clinic.

“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 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.”

One of the hardest things for researchers to do when dealing with epilepsy is trying to figure out what part of the brain is responsible for the seizures. This is imperative if they are going to be able to figure out how to treat them in a safe and effective manner. Previous research to this effect was focused on monitoring patients during a seizure, but that method is very invasive. This new brain scan method focuses on the brain after the seizure and in a non-invasive way that used an EEG with 32 electrodes to read the brain’s signals.

This new brain scan technique can help remove some of the trial-and-error methods of preventing seizures. Trial and error is not the only complication that can arise with epileptic medications like Topamax because the drugs often cause serious side effects that can be devastating. Topamax has been linked to birth defects in babies born to mothers that use the drug while pregnant. Some of those birth defects include PPHN, oral clefts, neural tube defects and spina bifida.

If your baby was born with birth defects after in-utero exposure to Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injuries.