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Dr. Alina Ivaniuk interviews Dr. Meriem Bensalem-Owen about growing up in Algeria, attending medical school during a civil war, moving to the United States for training, and starting Kentucky's first epilepsy fellowship program. Dr. Bensalem-Owen directs the epilepsy program at the University of Kentucky and is a past board member of the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. She is passionate about Brazilian jiu jitsu and Argentine tango, and doesn't get enough sleep.

Read more about Dr. Bensalem-Owen and find her on Twitter.


This episode was reported by Dr. Alina Ivaniuk, and edited and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Sharp Waves content is meant for informational purposes only and not as medical or clinical advice. The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Contact us with comments or episode ideas at [email protected]

ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 August to 3 September 2025. We welcome you to join us!

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

What is autoimmune-associated epilepsy, and how is it different from acute seizures with an autoimmune cause? How can clinicians best diagnose and treat these conditions? Sharp Waves reporter Dr. Maryam Nabavi-Nouri spoke with Dr. Claude Steriade.

Claude Steriade, MD, CM is originally from Quebec City, Canada. She completed medical school at McGill University in Montreal, followed by an adult neurology residency at the University of Toronto. Dr. Steriade then completed a two-year epilepsy fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic before joining the epilepsy center at New York University.

 
Relevant articles:

Acute symptomatic seizures secondary to autoimmune encephalitis and autoimmune-associated epilepsy: Conceptual definitions

Discerning the Role of Autoimmunity and Autoantibodies in Epilepsy: A Review 

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This episode was reported by Dr. Maryam Nabavi-Nouri, and edited and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Sharp Waves content is meant for informational purposes only and not as medical or clinical advice.

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Contact us with feedback or episode ideas at [email protected]

ILAE website | Facebook | Instagram

Twitter feeds: English | French | Japanese | Portuguese | Spanish | ILAE-YES

ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 August to 3 September 2025. We welcome you to join us!

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

We talk with the authors of a recent study that found a higher incidence of epilepsy in more socially deprived areas of County Cork, Ireland. How was the dataset compiled, and what are the implications of their findings?

Read the full study (open access) in Epilepsia: Association between social deprivation and incidence of first seizures and epilepsy: A prospective population-based cohort. Eimer M. Maloney, Paul Corcoran, Daniel J. Costello, and Eilis J. O'Reilly

The researchers interviewed for this episode, Eimer M. Maloney and Eilis J. O'Reilly, have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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This episode was reported, edited, and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Contact us with feedback or episode ideas at [email protected]g

Sharp Waves content is meant for informational purposes only and not as medical or clinical advice. The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ILAE website | Facebook | Instagram

Twitter feeds: English | French | Japanese | Portuguese | Spanish | ILAE-YES

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

Dr. Alina Ivaniuk talks with Dr. Fábio Nascimento about his medical training and the factors contributing to his successful and varied career path.

Dr. Nascimento became the director of Washington University’s Adult Tuberous Sclerosis Center Clinic in summer 2022, after completing an epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is co-creator and co-host of EEG Talk, a YouTube channel dedicated to EEG education, and is also a podcast editor (Neurology Minute) and associate editor & social media editor for Epileptic Disorders.

Find Dr. Nascimento on Twitter (@fabnascimen) or visit the EEG Talk YouTube channel.

ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 August to 3 September 2025. We welcome you to join us!

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

What does it take to define and classify 39 epilepsy syndromes?  Dr. Elaine Wirrell chaired the ILAE task force that undertook this charge in 2017.  Through in-person meetings, Zoom calls, emails, and gallons of coffee, the group of international experts shaped four classification papers, along with a fifth explaining the methodology and listing the syndromes. We also spoke with Dr. Kate Riney, who was part of the task force and instrumental in building epilepsydiagnosis.org, an online guide and a key resource for the team.

The papers were published in Epilepsia in May 2022.

Methodology for classification and definition of epilepsy syndromes, with a list of syndromes

Epilepsy syndromes with onset in neonates and infants

• Full-length manuscript
• Plain language summary
• Infographic

Epilepsy syndromes with onset in childhood

• Full-length manuscript
• Plain language summary
• Infographic

Epilepsy syndromes with onset at a variable age

• Full-length manuscript
• Plain language summary
• Infographic

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy syndromes

• Full-length manuscript
• Plain language summary
• Infographic

Two webinars also are available, featuring leaders discussing the position papers and their key messages.

This episode was reported, edited, and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Contact us with feedback or episode ideas at [email protected].

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

As many as two-thirds of women with epilepsy have seizures that fluctuate with their menstrual cycles. Called catamenial epilepsy, the phenomenon has three distinct patterns.

In this episode of Sharp Waves, Dr. Bruna Nucera talks with Dr. Herzog about the three patterns of catamenial epilepsy, the possible mechanisms behind these seizure exacerbations, and how sex hormones otherwise affect both women and men with epilepsy. They discuss polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), female and male fertility issues in people with epilepsy, and what clinicians should know about interactions between anti-seizure medications and sex hormones, as well as treatment for catamenial epilepsy.

Links to studies mentioned by Dr. Herzog can be found in the episode’s transcript.

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 This episode was reported by Dr. Bruna Nucera, and edited and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Contact us with feedback or episode ideas at [email protected].

Sharp Waves content is meant for informational purposes only and not as medical or clinical advice. The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. 

ILAE website | Facebook | Instagram

Twitter feeds: English | French | Japanese | Portuguese | Spanish | ILAE-YES

ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 August to 3 September 2025. We welcome you to join us!

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

In this episode, we talk with a third-year medical student, a neuroscience researcher, an avid rock climber, and a young man with epilepsy. The catch: They’re all the same person.

Rick Nolan, 28, is a medical student from the US who also has done graduate coursework in neuroscience, publishing a study of his own brain in 2020. Nolan was diagnosed in his early 20s with epilepsy, which did not respond to medication. He took a year off from medical school to be surgically evaluated and receive a responsive neurostimulator (RNS) with the hope of becoming seizure free.

Nolan talked with ILAE about his experience with epilepsy as well as his medical training, sharing his potential career plans and a unique perspective on potential ways to improve epilepsy care.

This episode was reported, edited, and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Contact us with feedback or episode ideas at [email protected].

Sharp Waves content is meant for informational purposes only and not as medical or clinical advice. The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 August to 3 September 2025. We welcome you to join us!

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

Schools can be an important focus for screening of children for epilepsy, as well as educational efforts to address basic knowledge, stigma, and misconceptions associated with epilepsy. Schools also are an appropriate and necessary place to provide seizure first aid to affected students, teachers, and staff, as well as rescue medications when needed.

There is strong stigma around epilepsy in India;  parents may deny that a child has epilepsy, even if a community health worker has observed the child having seizures. And teachers and school administrators can be reluctant to allow children with epilepsy to attend school. This, combined with the social stigma of epilepsy and possible learning and cognitive issues, can lead to academic underachievement, lost opportunities, and poor quality of life into and throughout adulthood.

To better understand the epilepsy treatment gap in children, as well as to begin addressing the gap on a school-based level, Dr. Sulena Singh and colleagues developed a three-year project of surveys and training activities.

Dr. Sulena is in the Division of Neurology, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, Punjab, India.

The project is supported by an ad hoc grant (No.5/4-5/189/Neuro / 2019-NCD-1) from the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi.

Read more about the project on the ILAE website.

This episode was reported, edited and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Contact ILAE with feedback or episode ideas at [email protected]

Sharp Waves content is meant for informational purposes only and not as medical or clinical advice. The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

Katja Kobow is the most recent winner of the Michael Prize, an international award in epilepsy research. Her work focuses on epigenetics and epilepsy, a field that has grown exponentially in only the past 10 to 15 years. Dr. Kobow talked about her research and its potential for epilepsy diagnosis and treatment.

Epigenetics is the bookmarking system or the data management system of our genome. It decides which part of the genome is read, and when to read it. The epigenome is what makes the genome versatile in terms of regulating gene expression.

Epigenetics is crucial for all aspects of brain development and function. It’s also reversible, which has exciting implications for anti-epileptogenic therapies.  

Dr. Kobow is assistant professor at the Institute of Neuropathology at the University Hospital Erlangen, Germany. 

Selected recent publications:
 

DNA methylation-based classification of malformations of cortical development in the human brain (Acta Neuropathologica, 2022)

Molecular diagnostics in drug-resistant focal epilepsy define new disease entities (Brain Pathology, 2021)

Epigenetics explained: a topic “primer” for the epilepsy community by the ILAE Genetics/Epigenetics Task Force (Epileptic Disorders, 2020)

The Michael Prize is awarded in odd-numbered years; entries for the 2023 prize are now open and accepted until December 31, 2022.

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This episode was reported, edited, and produced by Nancy Volkers.

Contact us with feedback or episode ideas at [email protected]g

Sharp Waves content is meant for informational purposes only and not as medical or clinical advice. The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ILAE website | Facebook | Instagram

Twitter feeds: English | French | Japanese | Portuguese | Spanish | ILAE-YES

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

Can women with epilepsy get pregnant, give birth to healthy babies, and breastfeed? What are the myths and misconceptions around epilepsy during pregnancy, and what do physicians and women need to know? Dr. Anca Arbune interviews Dr. Page Pennell about the latest research and knowledge.

Women with epilepsy were once counseled to avoid pregnancy, but epilepsy is no longer a barrier to giving birth. The vast majority of women will have good outcomes.

Fertility issues are not a given in women with epilepsy, though they may arise in men or women taking enzyme-inducing anti-seizure medications.

A long history of taking anti-seizure medication does not affect a woman’s fertility or other outcomes. Only the type of medication taken during pregnancy can exert an influence. Significant reductions in the use of valproate in women of childbearing age mean that most women are taking anti-seizure medications that have lower risks to their babies.

A planned pregnancy with consistent seizure control can lead to safe and healthy outcomes. Certain anti-seizure medications require monitoring during pregnancy, due to changes in physiology and hormone levels.

Breastfeeding is safe and studies show beneficial effects to the infant, similar to those in infants in the general population. 

Research discussed during the episode:

MONEAD (Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Anti-epileptic Drugs) Study

Two-Year-Old Cognitive Outcomes in Children of Pregnant Women With Epilepsy in the Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs Study (2021) JAMA Neurology (KJ Meador, MJ Cohen, DW Loring, et al.)

Fetal antiepileptic drug exposure and cognitive outcomes at age 6 years (NEAD study): a prospective observational study (2013) The Lancet Neurology (KJ Meador, GA Baker, N Browning, et al.)

Antiseizure Medication Concentrations During Pregnancy: Results From the Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (MONEAD) Study (2022) JAMA Neurology (PB Pennell, A Karanam, KJ Meador, et al.)

Effects of breastfeeding in children of women taking antiepileptic drugs (2010) Neurology (KJ Meador, GA Baker, N Browning, et al.)

Antiepileptic Drug Exposure in Infants of Breastfeeding Mothers With Epilepsy (2019) JAMA Neurology

ILAE's International Epilepsy Congress will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 30 August to 3 September 2025. We welcome you to join us!

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: [email protected].

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.