It draws on multidisciplinary expertise in neurosciences at the UW and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center. Its goal is to advance the understanding and treatment of pediatric epilepsies through basic laboratory and clinical research. Approximately one out of 100 people suffers from epilepsy. Available medications provide significant seizure relief for 50 to 70 percent of people with epilepsy. However, many drugs have significant undesirable side effects.
Surgery can help only a small fraction of individuals with medically intractable seizures.
Basic research is the best hope for developing new and better approaches to prevent, treat, and cure epilepsy.