GregJonesLaw_10Q12_2013-03-29_Fri_Study: Brain Cooling May Prevent Seizures

When it comes to cortical epilepsy, anti-seizure medications like Topamax may not be as helpful a preventative measure as doctors might hope. However, according to an e-newsletter posted online by Epilepsy Research in the UK, scientists at the University of Minnesota have discovered that seizures may be stopped in animals by cooling the brain.

During the study, the researchers found that when the brain is cooled to less than 24°C in animals, it can prevent seizures. This may prove significant if the technique is proven to work in humans. The researchers also collaborated with scientists in Minnesota, Washington and Seattle to create a brain cooling device that is implantable in rats. During the study, the found that the device didn’t only stop seizures, it also prevented them.

The results of this study may prove significant or even groundbreaking because it may have proven that seizures may be curable even when the condition is caused by a head trauma. This could cause a severe decrease in newly-diagnosed epilepsy cases annually. Of the study’s finding, lead author on the study, Associate Professor Matthew Smyth at Washington University School of Medicine, said:

“Our results show that the brain changes that cause this type of epilepsy happen in the days and weeks after injury, not at the moment of injury or when the symptoms of epilepsy begin. If clinical trials confirm that cooling has similar effects in humans, it could change the way we treat patients with head injuries, and for the first time reduce the chance of developing epilepsy after brain injury.”

Epilepsy is currently being treated with drugs like Topamax. Topamax is an anti-seizure medication that has been found to be potentially dangerous to babies of mothers who take the drug while pregnant. Children may be born with birth defects such as PPHN, spina bifida, neural tube defects, oral clefts and heart, lung and brain defects after exposure to Topamax in-utero.

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.