Epilepsy has been shown to
have a significant impact on the development of the brain as a sufferer ages.
A new study by scientists working at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found
that those who develop temporal lobe epilepsy as a child will experience
greater abnormalities in the sub regions of the brain as they grown older.
The team used MRI images to analyse the differences between white and grey
mater in epilepsy patients and a group of healthy controls.
Although both groups displayed deteriorative changes with age, those with
epilepsy had a greater chance of suffering neurological damage caused by the
anatomical development of the lateral and third ventricles.
Dr Bruce Hermann, who led the study, believes more research needs to be done to
help ascertain the causes of these variations and prevent the
neurodevelopmental challenges that patients suffer with.
According to the Epilepsy Society, more than 500,000 people in the UK have the
brain condition.
© Adfero Ltd
Epilepsy treatment news: 3 April 2012
