Epilepsy sufferers given new hope

Epilepsy sufferers who do not respond to drugs have been given new hope by a team of researchers.Experts have been honing their techniques to analyse MRI scans with the aim of identifying which part of a patient's brain is causing fits.Until now, around one in four brain scans of epileptic patients not responding to drugs mistakenly gives the "all clear".But Professor John Duncan and his team have been reprogramming scanners and finding new ways to analyse images with the aim of finding out more about these people's brains.The hope is that hundreds more patients will be able to undergo surgery to remove the part of their brain that causes their seizures.Professor Duncan, who is medical director of the National Society for Epilepsy and works at University College London, said one of the new techniques involved watching how water moves around the brain.Another involves examining how water "sticks" to proteins in the brain, which can show up areas of abnormality not revealed in normal scans.He said: "It takes a long time and a lot of practice to perfect these techniques."We are trying to find that abnormal area of the brain that is causing the epilepsy."© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | August 28, 2007

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