Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Raili Riikonen
Kuopio University Hospital, Finland
Keynote: New Developments of Epileptic Syndromes in very young Infants
Time : 09:00-09:40
Biography:
Raili Riikonen is a Research Consult at the Children`s Hospital and Science Service Centre, Kuopio University Hospital. She is a specialist in paediatrics and child neurology (University of Helsinki) and health administration (University of Tampere) and Professor of Child Neurology and Head in Turku, Helsinki and Kuopio. Her clinical and research interests include epilepsy (especially infantile spasms), nerve growth factors, autism, Rett syndrome, FAS, MS, stroke. She has many publications (104 originals, 28 reviews /book chapters, and 100 abstracts). She is a member of the epilepsy surgery board (University of Kuopio for 10 years, Invited visiting Professor, UBC, Vancouver 2008.
Abstract:
Epileptic syndromes of very young infants presented here are the following: Early epileptic encephalopathy or Ohtahara syndrome, migrating partial seizures of infancy and West syndrome (presented in more detail).New advances are the following; 1) Expansion of electro-clinical, radiological and pathological disease spectrum. 2) Explanation for pathogenesis of some of the syndromes. 3) Evidence-based data for pharmacological treatments of West syndrome. 4) Recent results of ICISS study from UK. 4) Enlarged indication for the use of ketogenic diet and surgery. 5) Better known side effects of vigabatrin. New options in pipe-line are rapamycin and anti-inflammatory drugs.Future research should include multi-centric RCT trials with multiple treatment arms, management of relapses, prevention of infantile spams, prevention of visual field defects followed by vigabatrin, understanding of brain maturation, etiology, mechanisms and genetics underlying infantile spasms may facilitate more effective intervention.
Keynote Forum
Walter E Muller
Biocenter University Frankfurt, Germany
Keynote: A mitochondrial role of SV2A protein in hyperexcitability: Studies with the anti-epileptic Levetiracetam
Time : 09:40-10:20
Biography:
Walter E Muller is currently Professor Emeritus at the Department of Pharmacology University Frankfurt. He got his PhD in Pharmacology at the University Mainz were he also worked as Assistant Professor until 1983 then he moved as Associate Professor to the Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim,University Heidelberg. From 1997 to 2013, he was Full Professor of Pharmacology at the Biocenter University Frankfurt. He has received several professional awards including the Fritz Külz Preis of the German Pharmacological Society, the award in Psychopharmacology of the AGNP, he was awarded Fellowship of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and he is Honorary Member of the Austrian Society of Biological Psychiatry. He has published more than 500 papers. His h-index is 68, his, i10-index 270.
Abstract:
Hyper excitability of cortical and hippocampal structures has recently been identified as one of the mechanisms of cognitive deficits in human aging, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as in animals Models of AD. As underlying cause dysfunction of inhibitory interneurons rather than general neuronal over activity has been proposed probably associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. In line with these findings, out of several anti-epileptics which all reduce neuronal excitability only levetiracetam was able to reduce neuronal hyper excitability and to improve the associated cognitive defects. Because of its close relationship to the metabolic enhancer piracetam, we speculated that levetiracetam similarly improves neuronal function by enhancing mitochondrial function in a cell model of aging, AD and the interplay of both conditions. Our findings are fully in line with these assumptions as levetiracetam showed substantial improvement of disturbed mitochondrial paraments as ATP production, mitochondrial dynamics (fission and fusion balance), mPTP pore opening as well as impaired neuritogenesis due to mitochondrial defects. While these data are quite clear, we still were puzzled in respect of a possible mechanism of action of levetiracetam for these effects as its primary target, the SV2A protein seems to be closely related to brain synaptic membranes. However, we could clearly identify substantial levels of this protein also at the mitochondrial level. As it works in the brain as a regulator of vesicle fusion, we speculated on the basis of our findings that levetiracetam reduces mPTP opening that it might be involved in the complex mechanisms regulating mPTP function which also involve complex fusion mechanisms at the level of the mitochondrial membrane.
Keynote Forum
Saba Ahmad
University of Illinois, USA
Keynote: The ketogenic diet through the ages
Time : 10.20-11.00
Biography:
Saba Ahmad completed her Doctorate of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. She then went on the do her residency and fellowship training in pediatric neurology and epilepsy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has a clinical interest in the advanced treatments of epilepsy, including dietry and surgical management. She currenly serves as the Medical director of the EEG lab at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System in Chicago, as well as the Interim Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurology at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Abstract:
Dietary restriction and fasting are amongst the oldest known treatments for epilepsy that were recognized as effective since ancient times. While the scope of effective treatments for epilepsy has expanded greatly since that time, becoming ketotic (either through fasting or the ketogenic diet) has withstood the test of time and remains a very effective treatment for the management of epilepsy, particularly medication resistant epilepsy in children. While the exact mechanism by which ketosis can control seizures remains unknown, a recent renewed interest in it has fueled active, ongoing reasearch to elucidate the reason for its effectiveness.This review of the ketogenic diet will highlight advances in research and possible avenues of novel therapeutics.
- Epilepsy
Location: Frederick Douglass
Chair
Elia M Pestana Knight
Cleveland Clinic, USA
Co-Chair
Long Jun Wu
Rutgers University, USA