Active clinical trials for "Epilepsy"

The purpose of this study is to better define the potential molecular and anti-inflammatory changes induced by the modified Atkins diet in the brains of patients with treatment resistant epilepsy. The investigators plan to enroll 30 subjects overall in this study to compare serologic and brain tissue specimens. At NYU, investigators plan to enroll 20 subjects; an estimated ten (10) subjects will consume a modified Atkins diet for 3-4 weeks prior to surgery and an estimated ten (10) subjects will consume a non-modified, higher carbohydrate diet. Investigators at Saint Barnabas Medical Center plan to enroll 10 subjects in this study to compare serologic and brain tissue specimens. Approximately five (5) subjects will consume a modified Atkins diet for 3-4 weeks prior to surgery and five (5) subjects will consume a non-modified, higher carbohydrate diet. Blood and brain tissue specimens will be obtained at the time of surgery and will be compared. The goal of this study is to identify whether or not there are changes in neuroinflammation or neuroexcitability in the human brain induced by the modified Atkins diet.

In this study, brand name lamotrigine (LAMICTAL) and generic lamotrigine will be compared in patients with epilepsy. Both the brand name and generic lamotrigine are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are commonly used to treat epilepsy. Some physicians and patients with epilepsy have believed that brand and generic lamotrigine have had clinically significant differences in efficacy and tolerability. The brand name and generic tablets have been shown to be the same when blood levels were measured in healthy volunteers without epilepsy, but these drugs have not yet been compared in patients with epilepsy. This study will do this comparison, by switching patients between brand and generic in a very structured manner, and seeing if the drugs are the same, primarily in terms of blood levels. Other comparisons will also be made secondarily, looking for any differences in adverse effects and seizure control.

An interaction study to assess the effect of the ezogabine/retigabine and the main metabolite NAMR on the pharmacokinetics of digoxin in healthy volunteers

Study Population -People with seizures benefit from regular exercise. Exercise may help decrease the number of seizures they have. It also improves overall health and quality of life. However, people with seizure disorders often have been prevented from doing sports or other regular physical activity. They may also feel that exercise or injury can increase their risk of seizures. Researchers want to try an exercise program for people who have seizures to see if they can increase motivation to exercise which will improve overall health and may decrease the frequency of seizures. Objectives: - To see how exercise education improves motivation to exercise in people who have a history of seizures. Eligibility: - Individuals at least 18 years of age who have a history of seizures. Design: This study involves three outpatient visits and weekly telephone calls for about 12 weeks. There will be followup calls at about 6 and 12 months after the outpatient visits. Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. They will answer questions about their current level of physical activity, mood, quality of life, and ideas about exercise. At the first visit, participants will learn how to keep a physical activity log and seizure calendar. They will also use an activity monitor and take their pulse regularly. They will complete questionnaires about their mood and thoughts about exercise and seizures. At the second visit, participants will set personal activity goals and learn about physical activity and seizures. They will review the physical activity log, seizure log, and activity monitor and pulse readings for the previous 4 weeks. After the second visit, participants will receive weekly telephone calls. Each call will last about 5 minutes. These calls will ask about physical activities for the week and participants' progress toward meeting their goals. These calls will also review the seizure log. At the third visit (12 weeks), the same tests from the first visit will be repeated. The followup phone calls will continue to monitor participants' activity levels.

The objective of this study is to characterize the effects of a single-dose of retigabine on cortical excitability in healthy subjects, as quantified by means of TMS.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of stable coadministered oxcarbazepine (OXC), on the pharmacokinetics (PK), safety, tolerability of padsevonil (PSL) and the plasma PK of PSL metabolites, UCB1431322-000 and UCB1447499-000, in study participants with epilepsy compared with study participants co-medicated with stable doses of levetiracetam (LEV), lamotrigine (LTG) or brivaracetam (BRV) therapy.

This is a pilot study. The Investigators propose a pilot randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial comparing the GoToSleep program (GTS) and controls on change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) from baseline to week 8 in adults with epilepsy and moderate-to-severe insomnia. Adults with epilepsy and moderate-to-severe insomnia symptoms (ISI ≥15) 17 will be identified using data collected as part of routine clinical care in the adult epilepsy clinic. All subjects will be provided a consent form describing the study and provided sufficient information to make an informed decision. After a screening visit, subjects meeting study criteria will be randomized to the computerized cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CCBT-i) using the GoTosleep (GTS) or the control group. Both groups will receive a sleep hygiene handout that is standard of care in the treatment of insomnia. All subjects will be contacted by phone every 2 weeks during the intervention to address questions related to sleep hygiene instructions and use of the CCBT-i in the GoTosleep (GTS) group. All subjects will complete a series of sleep related patient reported outcomes including the ISI at baseline 8 weeks post randomization and maintain a diary recording of seizures and sleep periods. Those randomized to CCBT-i will complete a questionnaire at week 8 assessing barriers to CCBT-i. Subjects randomized to the control group will be offered access to the GoTosleep (GTS) at no charge at the end of the study (week 8).

Dexmedetomidine is an alpha-2 agonist commonly used during neurosurgery due to its unique properties as a sedative and anxiolytic with minimal respiratory depression. Neurosurgical patients frequently come to the operating room on anticonvulsant therapy with a history of seizures. The investigators clinical experience suggests that these patients are resistant to the sedative effects of dexmedetomidine. This effect may represent a pharmacokinetic interaction between the anticonvulsant medications and dexmedetomidine or the higher dexmedetomidine dose requirement could result from abnormal pharmacodynamics due to the underlying seizure disorder. The investigators study aims to investigate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences of dexmedetomidine between patients receiving and not receiving enzyme-inducing anticonvulsant therapy and to identify a potential mechanism for these differences.

To establish the safety and feasibility of having patients with epilepsy perform yoga.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of fluoxetine on breathing mechanisms during seizures. Patients with partial epilepsy commonly have changes in their breathing mechanisms during seizures. These changes may increase the risk of serious side effects from seizures, including sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP), which affects 2-10 per 1000 patients with epilepsy each year. Fluoxetine (Prozac) may help to stimulate breathing through its actions in the brain and has been shown to improve breathing changes seen with seizures in certain animals. Fluoxetine is in a class of medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It works by increasing the amount of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain, at synapses, the junctions at which nerve cells in the brain communicate. Fluoxetine is currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa, Panic Disorder and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.