Epilepsy affects 1 % of the population, i.e. over 50 million people worldwide. A third of these people suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy that cannot be treated with any medication. The epilepsy drugs are mostly targeting electrolyte channels in order to reduce epileptic brain activity. Recent in vivo studies indicate that water convecting the electrolytes may actually also be the problem behind epileptic discharges. If brain water channels or the pulsations pushing water become blocked, the convection of electrolytes also stops, the epileptic brain activity may start. Our research team has developed an ultrafast MRI technique to image the brain water pulsations. We have observed that brain pulsations induced by breathing are significantly increased in epileptic brains. In this study we aim to find out why the epileptic brain is pulsating excessively. This study offers new information of the source of epilepsy and opens new options for diangostic and treatment.

2021

2025