Research at the National Centre for Epilepsy Complex Epilepsy Research Group

Group Leader: Morten Ingvar  Lossius
Group Leader: Morten Ingvar  Lossius

Clinical research in patients with difficult-to-treat epilepsy, with particular focus on:

  1. Characterisation of different epilepsy syndromes (genotype/phenotype)
  2. Clinical pharmacology of antiepileptic drugs
  3. Different diagnostic and treatment options; EEG, pharmacotherapy, surgery, VNS, diets
  4. Psychosocial, psychiatric and neurocognitive aspects
  5. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures

Annual reports

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Ongoing projects
PhD candidates in the UiO PhD program

  • Hilde Karterud: “Medically unexplained seizures: a qualitative study of the development of patients illness perceptions”.  Supervisor: Mette Bech Risør. Co-supervisor: Ole Rikard Haavet. Dissertation May 18, 2017
  • Silje Syrstad: Nocturnal epileptiform activity in EEG and language skills. Supervisor: Solveig Alma Lyster. Co-supervisor: Marit Bjørnvold.  Dissertation Dec 2017
  • Kari Modalsli Aaberg: Epilepsy in young children. Supervisor: Camilla Stoltenberg. Co-supervisors: Pål Suren, Per Magnus, Richard Chin, and Morten I. Lossius
  • Magnhild Kverneland: Effect of modified Atkin’s diet in adult patients with pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy. A randomized controlled study.  Supervisor:  Karl Otto Nakken. Co-supervisor: Erik Taubøll
  • Antonia Villagran. Psychiatric comorbidity in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES).  Supervisor:  Morten I. Lossius. Co-supervisor: Roderick Duncan
  • Torleiv Svendsen: Tolerability and efficacy of new antiepileptic drugs.  Supervisor: Cecilie Johannessen Landmark. Co-supervisors: Ole Morten Rønning and Morten I. Lossius
  • Sigrid Pedersen: Epilepsy in Children: The Impact of the Gut Microbiota and Epigenetics in Successful Treatment of Epilepsy. Supervisor: Kaja Kristine Selmer. Co-supervisors: Knut Rudi, Per Ole Iversen, and Benedicte Alexandra Lie

Post doc

  • Silje Alvestad: “Scandinavian multi-registry study of antiepileptic drug teratogenicity: the SCAN-A study”

PhD-candidates not yet in the UiO PhD program

  • Eli B. Kyte: Impact of epilepsy surgery on cognition, psychiatry and quality of life at the commencement of aging. Supervisor: Morten I. Lossius
  • Oliver Henning: Sexuality, depression and side effects in refractory  epilepsy patients. Supervisor: Morten I. Lossius 

PhD-candidates in the UiO PhD program, associated to the group

  • Anette Huuse Farmen: Effect of epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy: cognition, neurodevelopmental symptoms and obstetric outcome in offspring ‒ a prospective cohort study.  Supervisor: Morten I. Lossius. Co-supervisor: Merethe Øien

International projects

  • “EURAP study. An International Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy Registry” (International concerted Action on the Teratogenesis of Anti-epileptic Drugs) (http://www.eurapinternational.org/): Silje Alvestad and Kari Mette Lillestølen, National coordinators
  • “E-PILEPSY” is a Pan European Project, with the primary aim of improving awareness and accessibility of surgery for epilepsy across different countries. Epilepsy surgery is an established treatment in the management of individuals with drug resistant focal epilepsy (http://www.e-pilepsy.eu/). Morten I. Lossius, associated partner
  • “Nordic prospective observational study of outcomes after rare epilepsysurgery procedures”. Fridny Heimsdottir
  • TRACE («Transcutan VNS (t-VNS) for drug resistant epilepsy»). Oliver Henning, Konstantin Kostov
  • “Pharmacokinetic variability, efficacy and tolerability of a new antiepileptic drug, brivaracetam”. Scandinavian project between the National Center for Epilepsy in Norway and Denmark (Filadelfia, Dianalund). Torleiv Svendsen, medical leader, Cecilie J. Landmark, project leader
  • “Children with refractory epilepsy and use of the newest antiepileptic drugs”. Scandinavian project between the National Centre for Epilepsy in Norway and Denmark (Filadelfia, Dianalund). Margrete Larsen Burns, Marina Nikoronova, responsible in Denmark, and Cecilie J. Landmark, project leader
  • “EDDI EMG triggered seizure seizure alarm”. Oliver Henning in cooperation with Danish Epilepsy Center Dianalund
  • “Scandinavian multi-registry study of antiepileptic drug teratogenicity: the SCAN-A study”. Silje Alvestad, post-doc, in cooperation with UiB/Haukeland)
  • Tosca. Novartis. Prot.No CRAD001MIC03: “TuberOus SClerosis Registry to IncreAse Disease Awareness”. International multicenter study. Marit Bjørnvold, Principle Investigator, and  Caroline Lund
  • EXIST-3. Novartis (everolimus). Prot.No. CRAD001M2304: “A three-arm, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 2 trough-ranges of evereolimus as adjunctive therapy in patients with tuberous schlerosis complex (TSC) who have refractory partial-onset seizures”. International multicenter study. Marit Bjørnvold, Principle Investigator Caroline Lund

 
Most important national and international collaborators

National:

  • Prof. Eylert Brodtkorb, St. Olavs Hospital/ Trondheim University Hospital
  • Prof. Erik Taubøll, OUH

International:

  • Prof. Torbjörn Tomson, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (“European Registry of Antiepileptic drugs and Pregnancy”)
  • Professors: P Ryvlin (Lyon), H Cross (London), K Braun (Utrecht), P Dimova (Sofia), S Francione (Milano), H Hecimovic (Zagreb), C Helmstaedter (Bonn), V Kimiskidis (Thessaloniki), K Malmgren (Götenburg), P Marusic (Praha), E Trinka (Salzburg), and B Steinhoff (Kork). (“The E-PILEPSY project”)
  • Prof. Marina Nikoronova, Dianalund, Denmark (“Children and new antiepileptic drug”s)
  • Prof. Christoph Helmstaedter, Bonn University Hospital
  • Prof. Kristina Malmgren, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Funding

  • South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
  • Norwegian ExtraFoundation for Health and Rehabilitation
  • Innlandet Hospital Trust
  • The Competence Centre for Mental Delay and Epilepsy
  • ADHD Network Research Funds

Scientific production of the research group in 2017

Peer reviewed original research articles: 12
Other publications: 16
Dissertation: 2


1. Hilde Elisabeth Nordahl Karterud: Perceptions of illness and self in adolescents and adults with psychogenic, non-epileptic seizures (PNES). May 18, 2017
2. Silje Syrstad: Nocturnal epileptiform activity in EEG and language skills.  Des 14, 2017

Selected publications: 3
1. Aaberg KM, Surén P, Søraas CL, Bakken IJ, Lossius MI, Stoltenberg C, Chin R (2017).
“Seizures, syndromes, and etiologies in childhood epilepsy: The International League Against Epilepsy 1981, 1989, and 2017 classifications used in a population-based cohort”. Epilepsia, 58 (11) 1880-91
2. Aaberg KM, Gunnes N, Bakken IJ, Lund Søraas C, Berntsen A, Magnus P, Lossius MI, Stoltenberg C, Chin R, Surén P (2017). “Incidence and Prevalence of Childhood Epilepsy: A Nationwide Cohort Study”. Pediatrics, 139 (5)
3. Johannessen Landmark C, Burns ML, Baftiu A, Farmen AH, Lossius MI, Johannessen SI, Tomson T (2017). “Pharmacokinetic variability of valproate in women of childbearing age”. Epilepsia, 58 (10), e142-e146

 
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