Epilepsy & Seizures
Most epilepsy research is about the seizures that carry on despite treatment, and about living more safely while they do.
What research here looks at
Epilepsy is a tendency to have seizures that start in the brain. Many people find a medicine that controls them, and research in this area mostly concerns those who have not, or who live with side effects they would rather not have.
Studies test new medicines added to the ones a person already takes, nerve stimulation devices, dietary approaches and wearables that detect a seizure and call for help. Others follow how seizures change over years.
The studies you are likely to find
Add-on medicine studies
Test a new medicine taken alongside current ones, compared with placebo or with standard care.
Device studies
Look at implanted or external stimulators and how well they reduce seizures.
Detection studies
Try out watches and sensors that notice a seizure and alert someone.
Diet studies
Follow structured eating plans, usually with a dietitian guiding every step.
What taking part
can involve
Every study is different, and its consent form sets out exactly what it asks. These are the things studies in this area often include.
- A seizure diary kept for a set baseline period before anything changes
- EEG recordings, sometimes overnight or at home
- Blood tests to check medicine levels
- Regular clinic visits and phone check-ins
- Questions about sleep, mood and side effects
Lines that listings in this area
often publish
A confirmed diagnosis, with the seizure type named by a specialist
Seizures still happening while on at least one medicine
How many anti-seizure medicines you take now, and whether doses have been steady
A diary of seizures over the weeks before the study begins
A recent episode of prolonged seizures needing emergency care
Whether someone at home can help record seizures you may not remember
These are patterns, not rules. Each study writes its own criteria, and only its team can say how a line applies to you.
Questions worth asking the study team
- Do I keep taking all of my current medicines?
- How should I record seizures, and does someone else need to help?
- What happens if my seizures get worse during the study?
- Does the study affect what I am allowed to do, such as driving?
Look for epilepsy and seizures studies
The register opens in a new tab, already set to this condition and to studies that are recruiting.
Search ClinicalTrials.govOrva does not run or choose these studies. Contact the team a listing names.
