Astrocytes and epilepsy

A protein with important functions in astrocytes — star-shaped brain support cells — may alter neuronal excitability and contribute to seizure activity, Vanderbilt researchers report.

Brown named executive medical director of Neurosciences Patient Care Center

Kelly Brown, MD, associate professor of Clinical Neurology, will be assuming the role of executive medical director of the Neurosciences Patient Care Center (PCC) effective July 1.

Kennedy Center program seeks to help community providers treat adults with autism

Researchers at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center are on a quest to increase health care capacity for adults with autism by bringing quality care into their communities.

Small vessel disease MRI marker linked to worse cognitive health in older adults

Enlarged perivascular spaces, which are commonly seen on brain MRIs in older adults, have important associations with worse cognitive performance, particularly information processing speed and executive function, according to a new study that challenges historical consideration that perivascular spaces are a harmless imaging marker.

Study aims to predict treatment response in epilepsy patients

With the aid of $2.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Vanderbilt researchers are on a quest to develop early biomarkers of treatment outcomes for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy based on their individual brain networks.

‘Very exciting time’ for sleep research as studies zero in on performance, health