Advancing new therapeutic targets for people with drug-resistant epilepsy

By Dr Loretta Piccenna, Department of Neuroscience

Epilepsy & Behaviour group

To make significant research advances to improve outcomes for people with drug-resistant epilepsy, researchers need to understand the molecular and neurobiological processes that occur within the brain to enable them to identify new therapeutic targets.

Researchers from the Epilepsy & Behaviour research group in the Department of Neuroscience have moved a step closer to this goal by publishing findings to show that a pre-clinical mouse model, known as the self-sustained Electrical Status Epilepticus (SSSE) mouse model, strongly resembles features seen and experienced by patients with drug-resistant mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Neuroscience researchers receive $1.45M from US Department of Defense for research on Post-Traumatic Epilepsy

Dr Idrish Ali (left) & Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (right)

by Dr Loretta Piccenna

International funding totalling $1,450,575 from the US Department of Defense (DoD) Epilepsy Research Program has been awarded to early career researchers - Dr Idrish Ali (EP200033) and Dr Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (EP200022) - within the Department of Neuroscience, to each individually advance translational research on Post-Traumatic Epilepsy. This will further efforts to improve detection and minimise related health risk factors in individuals affected, especially Service members and Veterans.