In the media

Senior consultant, MD, PhD Monika Mochol now working at Kalnes hospital, Østfold hospital trust defended her phd thesis “Interactions between epilepsy, antiseizure medication and the immune system” using zebrafish experiments in 2023.

This year she is the winner of the UCB Epilepsy Research Prize for 2025 for her new and ongoing project as a part-time postdoc entitled: "Mechanisms of epileptogenesis after brain injury; the search for new therapeutic strategies”. The studies are undertaken in zebrafish in collaboration between Kalnes Hospital, Østfold hospital trust, Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience (CMBN) at University of Oslo where the experiments are performed, and ERGO – Epilepsy Research Group of Oslo.

Dear Colleagues

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the third Nordic status epilepticus meeting (3^rd NSEM) to be held in Oslo, May 22-23, 2025. Status epilepticus is the most serious and most feared seizure type with still a high mortality and morbidity rate. Early and correct treatment is of utmost importance for outcome and long-term prognosis. This time, we will therefore focus on the prehospital and early phase. The overarching theme is therefore: “Time To Control – from basics to the clinic in status epilepticus” and the goal is to improve and standardize early status epilepticus treatment. We will also discuss factors involved in the development and maintenance of status epilepticus including autoimmunity, biomarkers and molecular mechanisms, and also touch upon the difficult problem with functional/dissociative seizures and status epilepticus. 

The first "Nordic Masterclass on Epilepsy" was conducted on 19-20 September 2024 in Stockholm. The aim is, firstly, to establish a sub-specialization program for young neurologists and child neurologists with the aim of training the next generation of leading epileptologists in the Nordic countries. Secondly, to create a Nordic network for closer cooperation both academically, research-wise and last but not least clinically.

The theme this time was: "The road to diagnosis in complex epilepsies". Diagnostic possibilities within genetics, imaging techniques and metabolic investigation were reviewed. Prof Sándor Beniczky from Denmark also had an excellent review of seizure semiology as a starting point for diagnostication. In addition, ample time was set aside for reviewing complicated case studies.

Ellen Molteberg defended her thesis “Endocrine effects of modified Atkins diet in adult patients with drug resistant epilepsy” for the degree of PhD at the University of Oslo. This was a joint project between ERGO – the epilepsy research group in department of neurology, The National Centre for Epilepsy, and the Hormonal laboratory, Oslo university hospital. Ellen Molteberg is now working as senior consultant and Head of adult epileptology at the National Centre for Epilepsy in Sandvika which is part of Oslo university hospital.

The committee consisted of adjunct professor Pavel Klein, George Washington University, and director, Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center, Washington DC, USA  as first opponent, senior consultant Marianne Grytaas, Department of Endocrinology, Haukeland university hospital as second opponent, and professor Ole Morten Rønning, Department of Neurology, Akershus university hospital and University of Oslo as third opponent and head of committee. 

Main supervisor was professor Erik Taubøll, ERGO, Department of Neurology, and co-supervisor senior consultant Per Medbøe Thorsby, Hormonal laboratory, Oslo university hospital.  

Helle Herrman defended her thesis “Deep brain stimulation to the anterior thalamic nuclei in refractory epilepsy” for the degree of PhD at the University of Oslo. She is now working as a Senior Consultant in Department of neurology at Oslo university hospital.

The committee consisted of professor Anna Sabers, Rigshospitalet university hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, as first opponent, Ass. Professor Geir Bråthen, St. Olav’s hospital, Trondheim, Norway as second opponent and professor Angelika Sorteberg, Oslo university hospital, Norway as third opponent and head of the committee.   

Supervisors were professors Espen Dietrichs and Erik Taubøll, Department of Neurology, Oslo university hospital.

The epilepsy research community at the Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, has recently received research funding totaling approximately 8 million Norwegian kroner for translational epilepsy research. This includes a grant of about 6.6 million kroner from the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority and a grant of about 1.4 million kroner from the Lundbeck Foundation.

The funds will be utilized in translational epilepsy research led by Senior Neurologist Kjell Heuser, in collaboration with the Letten Centre at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Oslo, led by Rune Enger. The project supported by Lundbeck involves collaboration with Prof. Christoph Beier at Odense University Hospital.

Monika Mochol, now working as a Senior Consultant in Department of neurology at Østfold hospital, Kalnes, defended her thesis “Interactions between epilepsy, antiseizure medication and the immune system” for the degree of PhD.

The committee consisted of professor Reetta Kälviäinen, University of Eastern Finland as first opponent, Senior Consultant Sverre Myren, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology as second opponent, and professor Bjørnar Hassel, University of Oslo as third opponent. Chair of the defence was professor Morten Lossius, University of Oslo.

Principal supervisor was Senior Consultant Sigrid Svalheim, Oslo University Hospital with professor Erik Taubøll as co-supervisor.

I løpet av kort tid har to kandidater tatt sine PhD-grader innen grunnleggende epilepsiforskning ved ulike avdelinger og Institutter tilknyttet epilepsiforskningsmiljøet ved Rikshospitalet. 

Cecilie Bugge Bakketun forsvarte 12.05.23 sin avhandling «Roles of Astrocytes in Extracellular Potassium and Glutamate Regulation» der hun har sett på hvordan astrocyttene, de viktige «støttecellene» i hjernen, viser seg å ha en svært viktig rolle for å regulere aktiviteten i hjernen og derved påvirke muligheten for utvikling av epilepsi.

Christoffer Hatlestad-Hall disputerte 30.06.23 på et arbeid om epilepsi, kognitive vansker og hjernenettverk. Den fulle tittelen for avhandlingen var: «Functional brain network organisation in focal epilepsy and comorbid cognitive impairment: Methodological and aetiological considerations”.

During this year's “Neurodagene”, the UCB research award for epilepsy was divided between ERGO - the epilepsy research group and the Brain Program - prehospital neurology research group by project manager Maren Ranhoff Hov.

The research project "Prehospital convulsion management - PreCTRL" will be carried out by research fellow and MD Ingrid Hustad at the neurology department at OUS and the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation in collaboration with, among others, supervisors Prof. Erik Taubøll and senior physician Morten Horn.

Epilepsiforskningsgruppen ERGO (med forfattere overlege Line Bedos Ulvin, overlege Kjell Heuser og prof. Erik Taubøll) har vært delaktig i en 3-nasjonal studie for å bedre prognostisering av langtidsoverlevelse etter status epilepticus.

Nyslått Oslo-ambassadør og professor Erik Taubøll, Nevrologisk avdeling, Institutt for klinisk medisin (Klinmed) ble hedret for sin innsats med å få European Academy of Neurology - EAN til byen i 2019 under en seremoni på Grand Hotel i Oslo.

Lege og phd stipendiat Toni Berger ved Nevrologisk avdeling, Oslo Universitetssykehus – Rikshospitalet og Institutt for klinisk medisin ved Universitetet i Oslo skal forsvare sin avhandling: "A translational view on epileptogenesis" for graden phd fredag 4 februar.

Arbeidet utgår fra epilepsiforskningsgruppen i Nevrologisk avdeling, ERGO (Epilepsy Research Group of Oslo) og hovedveileder er overlege, phd Kjell Heuser. Prosjektet har vært finansiert fra EU gjennom Horizon2020, Marie Sklodowska Curie programmet. 

Disputas blir fredag 4 februar kl 12.15 (digital) https://www.med.uio.no/klinmed/english/research/news-and-events/events/disputations/2022/berger-toni.html

Prøveforelesning fredag 4 februar kl 10.15. Tittel: The role of microglia in neurodegenerative diseases. Therapeutic implications” (digital, Se Digital Trial Lecture)

The Epilepsy Research Group in Department of Neurology (ERGO - Epilepsy Research Group of Oslo) and the Department of Neurosurgery at Ullevål are now starting clinical studies of possible biomarkers for the development of epilepsy after head injuries. In the next round, it may be relevant to try out intervention treatment with medication.
The main study will be part of an international multi-center study we are now participating in and where Oslo could become one of the largest contributors. The project has received support from the CURE Epilepsy Foundation in the USA, which in turn has received USD 10 million from the US Department of Defense to study the mechanisms behind the development of post-traumatic epilepsy.

Glias rolle ved epilepsi har blitt stadig tydeligere og stadig flere tenker seg at glia kan representere et nytt angrepspunkt ikke bare for anfallsbehandling, men også for å stanse selve utviklingen av epilepsi – «kurere epilepsi». Dette var da også temaet på en av sesjonene under EAN kongressen i Oslo i 2019. Kjell Heuser er deretter bedt om å være guest editor for en e-bok i serien Frontiers in Neurology – epilepsy section, med tittelen «Glial Dysfunction in Epileptogenesis». Her har han fått med seg professorene Marco De Curtis (Italia) og Christian Steinhauser (Tyskland).

ERGO - Epilepsy Research Group of Oslo - presented their research at an open public meeting in September during the "Forskningsdagene 2020". Title of the meeting was: "Epilepsy - from basic research to modern clinical treatment".
Senior consultant, MD, PhD Kjell Heuser, discussed the role of glial cells in epilepsy. Thereafter, the PhD candidates Toni Berger, Cecilie Bugge Bakketun and Monika Mochol talked about epigentics in epilepsy (TB), how to use brain slices in the study of epilepsy (CBB) and the use of zebrafish in epilepsy research (MM) to understand basic mechanisms of epileptogenesis. 

Scientitsts from the Epilepsy Research Group at the Nevrological Department, ERGO (Epilepsy Research Group of Oslo) have recently, in collaboration with the Letten Center at the University of Oslo, studied how the glia cells contribute actively and are crucial in epilepsy. They have demonstrate that the glial cells are activated prior to the neurons by seizures, which is completely new knowledge. The findings have been achieved through the combination of several completely new techniques that include high-resolution microscopy, the use of biosensors and advanced neurophysiology, and have recently been published in the journal "Cerebral Cortex".

The groundbreaking research on the role of glial cells in epilepsy has been thorougly presented in a popular science form in a feature article (in Norwegian) entitled "The forgotten cells of the brain - a new path into treatment of epilepsy" on the OUS blog "Ekspertsykehuset". 

Blog post from the Oslo University Hospial "Expert Hospital" section (in Norwegian):
Hjernens glemte celler – en ny vei i epilepsibehandlingen? (November 2018)