Feb. 11, 2013 A new type of prophylactic treatment for brain
injury following prolonged epileptic seizures has been developed
by Emory University School of Medicine investigators. Status
epilepticus, a persistent seizure lasting longer than 30 minutes
[check this, some people say FIVE], is potentially life-
threatening and leads to around 55,000 deaths each year in the
United States. It can be caused by stroke, brain tumor or
infection as well as inadequate control of epilepsy. Physicians
or paramedics now treat status epilepticus by administering an
anticonvulsant or general anesthesia, which stops the seizures.
Researchers at Emory have been looking for something different:
anti-inflammatory compounds that can be administered after acute
status epilepticus has ended to reduce damage to the brain. They
have discovered a potential lead compound that can reduce
mortality when given to mice after drug-induced seizures. The
results were recently published in Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences Early E