Cortical dysplasia occurs when brain cells in the cortex – the outer layer of the brain – do not develop properly. People who have cortical dysplasia often have differences in the way their brain cells are organized, and are more likely to develop drug-resistant epilepsy during their lifetime. Due to cortical dysplasia, critical brain areas…
See the recordings of this talk on YouTube here!
1. Phase 3 Planning and Application As many of you are aware, much of this year has been dedicated to rethinking EpLink’s structure for 2018 and beyond. For the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) and its programs, 2018 marks the end of a 5-year funding period known as Phase 2. This means that both OBI, and…
To better understand what may lead to seizure activity in the brain, especially in people with drug-resistant epilepsy, we need to understand the epigenetics of epilepsy. Epigenetics is the study of how genes (DNA segments, each with a specific code that determines its function) can be switched on or off by changes to the DNA…
Every year, EpLink plans a Purple Day outreach event with the goal of increasing epilepsy awareness. This year, EpLink will be stationed at Brookfield Place (181 Bay Street, Toronto) on Friday, March 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – just days before Purple Day! We will be handing out information pamphlets about epilepsy, seizure…
Before seizure surgery, children with epilepsy stay in an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) and undergo a series of clinical tests to help find the specific area of the brain where seizures begin – the area that needs to be removed during surgery. After the surgery is performed, many children become seizure free. Does this have…
Today’s research update will focus on the results of EpLink’s Research Priorities Survey. The survey was created to obtain feedback from people living with epilepsy, their caregivers and families, and representatives from the Community Epilepsy Agencies on what research is important to them. The survey was available to the public from May 18 to September…
One of the ways to improve clinical epilepsy care is through the development of epilepsy monitoring technologies. More and more, there is a drive to develop more advanced technology to detect and monitor seizures. This would provide a great advantage, as people with epilepsy using these technologies can be warned about an upcoming seizure. But…
We are excited to announce that the First Annual Brain Benefit: Shaken Not Stirred fundraising gala is just 3 weeks away! Taking place on October 20 in downtown Toronto, this event will be co-hosted by Epilepsy Ontario and EpLink – The Epilepsy Research Program of the Ontario Brain Institute, with proceeds funding epilepsy support services…
In addition to the cutting-edge research done by EpLink, there are ongoing advances that are being made to better understand epilepsy and improve therapies. A great example of this is the opening of Canada’s first Epilepsy Diet Clinic for adults with drug-resistant epilepsy at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre (KNC) in Toronto Western Hospital – part…