Translational Research Unit (TRU)
Epilepsy
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It’s also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.
A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.
Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always recognized as seizures by the person experiencing them or by health care professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms and legs.
(Information from the Epilepsy Foundation of America)
For more information on epilepsy, visit the MUSC Epilepsy Center website.
Study Coordinators: Ashley Gantt, 843-792-7118
PI Information:
| Jonathan Halford, M.D. | ||
| Degree: | M.D. |
Title: | Assistant Professor | |
Interest/Specialty: | - Epilepsy - Sleep medicine | |
Advanced Degree: | M.D. awarded by Medical University of South Carolina, 1996 | |
Residency: | - Duke University Medical Center - Neurology - Duke University Medical Center - Psychiatry | |
Fellowship: | Duke University Medical Center - Clinical Neurology | |
Specialties: | ||
Board Certified: | - Neurology - Neurology :Clinical Neurophysiology - Psychiatry - Sleep Medicine | |
Language(s): | English | |
| Ekrem Kutluay, M.D. | ||
 | Degree: | M.D. |
Title: | Associate Professor | |
Interest/Specialty: | - Epilepsy and seizures - Epilepsy surgery - Clinical neurophysiology - Functional brain mapping - Electroencephalography (EEG) - Clinical drug trials | |
Advanced Degree: | M.D. awarded by Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey, 1992 | |
Residency: | Ege University School of Medicine, Turkey | |
Fellowship: | - The Cleveland Clinic in Epilepsy research - University of Michigan in Clinical Neurophysiology | |
Specialties: | ||
Board Certified: | Neurology :Clinical Neurophysiology | |
Language(s): | - English - German - Turkish | |
Epilepsy Studies | |||
| Title | Sponsor | Principal Investigator | Study Coordinator/Contact |
This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of brivaracetam at doses of 100 and 200 mg/day compared to placebo as adjunctive treatment in adult focal epilepsy subjects with partial onset seizures not fully controlled despite current treatment with 1 or 2 concomitant antiepileptic drugs. | UCB, Inc. | Jonathan Halford, M.D. | Ashley Gantt 843-792-7118 gantt@musc.edu |
The purpose of the study is to assess the safety and tolerability of intravenous (IV) carbamazepine (CBZ) administered as multiple 15 minute infusions to adult patients with epilepsy on stable higher doses of oral CBZ. | Lundbeck, Inc | Jonathan Halford, M.D. | Ashley Gantt 843-792-7118 gantt@musc.edu |
| A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, multi-center trial of Pregabalin Controlled Release formulation as adjunctive therapy in adults with partial onset seizures (Pfizer) | Pfizer, Inc. (OIP) | Ekrem Kutluay, M.D. | Ashley Gantt 843-792-7118 gantt@musc.edu |
| A prospective, open-label study of the structure and function of the retina in adult patients with refractory complex partial seizures treated with vigabatrin (Sabril®) (Lundbeck Vision) | Lundbeck, Inc. | Ekrem Kutluay, M.D. | Ashley Gantt 843-792-7118 gantt@musc.edu |
Click here to see a full list of TRU clinical trials. | |||
Neurology Clinic Location:
MUSC Rutledge Tower
135 Rutledge Avenue
Charleston, SC 29403
Other Resources:
Epilepsy Foundation
|
North Charleston, SC 29406
Ph: 843-740-1592
Fax: 843-740-6113