Caring for Our Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury at Risk for Developing Epilepsy

There is a national concern regarding traumatic brain injury and the risk of developing epilepsy. Last month we highlighted Operation Giveback, a collaborative effort headed by Marc A. Dichter, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology and Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Operation Giveback: Giving Veterans the Care They Need and Deserve: An Interview with Marc A. Dichter, MD, PhD, http://www.epilepsy.com/articles/ar_1188343627.html. To keep focus on this important issue, we are doing two things: Linking to other organizations and resource materials, and bringing you new articles and interviews with those concerned about the issues:

Links to initiatives and information:

• The American Epilepsy Society: The AES has developed a section called “Post-traumatic epilepsy - Web site for brain injured veterans and care providers” http://www.aesnet.org/Visitors/PatientsPractice/FAQRevised.cfm. We encourage all those concerned about TBI to review this information.
• American Academy of Neurology: The AAN's Legislative Counsel in Washington is keeping us posted on new initiatives such as the introduction by the US Senate of AAN-initiated Epilepsy Center’s of Excellence legislation to create six epilepsy centers that will be overseen by the VA Director of Neurology. http://www.aan.com/news/index.cfm?event=read&article_id=1066&page=176.38.38

Articles and interviews with those concerned about TBI and our veterans.

• Anne Van Cott, MD -- Read our feature with Dr. Van Cott, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who continues to care for veterans with epilepsy and directs the EEG laboratory at the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System. Dr. Van Cott noted that “TBI is associated with the development of seizures. Depending on the population studied, five to greater than 50% of head injury patients develop seizures.” Dr. Van Cott will discuss the risk factors associated with the development of acute seizures and epilepsy following TBI.
  Dr. Van Cott plays an active role in the education of residents, specifically with regards to electroencephalography interpretation. She serves on the VA’s Internal Review Board. With her collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh, she continues her CDC-funded research in improving self management in individuals with epilepsy.
• The Operation Giveback Task Force – We will continue to bring you news about the focus and members of the task force.

If you have information that you would like to see included here, please contact us./ The Editors

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