Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes people to have recurring seizures. The seizures happen when clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain send out the wrong signals. People may have strange sensations and emotions or behave strangely. They may have violent muscle spasms or lose consciousness.
Epilepsy has many possible causes, including illness, brain injury, and abnormal brain development. In many cases, the cause is unknown.
Doctors use brain scans and other tests to diagnose epilepsy. It is important to start treatment right away. There is no cure for epilepsy, but medicines can control seizures for most people. When medicines are not working well, surgery or implanted devices such as vagus nerve stimulators may help. Special diets can help some children with epilepsy.
It sits within Brain and Nerves.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Epilepsy
2,506 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- HOBSCOTCH-YOUTH and Young AdultsDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
- Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury Epileptogenesis Project (TRACK-TBI EPI)University of Pennsylvania
- B6 Administration for Levetiracetam-Associated Neurobehavioral Changes and EpilepsyDuke University
- AMT-260 Gene Therapy Study in Adults With Unilateral Refractory Mesial Temporal Lobe EpilepsyUniQure Biopharma B.V.
- Medication Treatment of ADHD in Pediatric EpilepsyHugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc.
- Bridging the Treatment Gap by Expanding Access to Care for People With Epilepsy in Kenya (BEACON)University of Virginia
Research already completed
- OASIS: RetrOspective Analysis on EEGs for Identifying Seizure Susceptibility in paediatrIcs Using biomarkerSNeuronostics Ltd
- Collaborative Care in Posttraumatic EpilepsyWake Forest University Health Sciences
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Epilepsy - Symptoms, Causes, Treatments and MoreDepartment of Veterans Affairs
- Epilepsy and SeizuresNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests
- EEG (Electroencephalogram)Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Functional MRI (fMRI)Radiological Society of North America
- Head CT (Computed Tomography, CAT Scan)Radiological Society of North America
Treatments and Therapies
- Epilepsy SurgeryNemours Foundation
- Epilepsy SurgeryMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- First Aid for SeizuresCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Related Issues
- Employees with Epilepsy/Seizure DisorderOffice of Disability Employment Policy
Genetics
- Autosomal dominant epilepsy with auditory features: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Autosomal dominant sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Benign familial neonatal seizures: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- CDKL5 deficiency disorder: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- CHD2 myoclonic encephalopathy: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Childhood absence epilepsy: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- CLN8 disease: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 1: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Epilepsy-aphasia spectrum: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- GM3 synthase deficiency: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Statistics and Research
- Curing the Epilepsies: The Promise of ResearchNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Epilepsy Facts and StatsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: EpilepsyNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Epilepsy. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Epilepsy, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.