Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

Children with genetic causes of epilepsy, including Dravet syndrome, were more than five times more likely to have fewer seizures after following a ketogenic diet, known as keto, for one year, according to a new study. Across all types of hard-to-treat epilepsy, nearly three-quarters of patients responded to…

The newly created DANCE checklist, to be completed by caregivers, may help diagnose additional conditions that often occur alongside Dravet syndrome by identifying non-seizure features — such as language, cognitive, and behavioral problems — seen with this type of epilepsy, according to a pilot study that tested the use…

Treatment with add-on Diacomit (stiripentol) rapidly reduced seizure frequency and extended seizure-free periods in children with Dravet syndrome, according to additional data from the treatment’s STICLO clinical trials. Open-label extension study data, which had not been previously reported, showed that placebo-treated patients who switched to Diacomit experienced a…

New treatment approaches, such as gene therapies, that aim to restore the activity of SCN1A, the gene often defective in Dravet syndrome patients, must remain active throughout adulthood to adequately maintain brain function, a lab study suggests. Using a Dravet mouse model, the work showed that activating a…

Recurrent seizures in a man with Dravet syndrome and high body temperature were managed by treating the recurrent infections and switching from Zonegran (zonisamide) to Fycompa (perampanel), a case study reports. The researchers recommended that clinicians consider treating infections early and discontinuing Zonegra if the medication causes…

Levodopa, the standard treatment for motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, improved walking abilities in people with Dravet syndrome, according to a small clinical trial. Most walking gains occurred in younger patients with better walking abilities before levodopa treatment. “Our findings suggest that levodopa treatment may be…

Fintepla (fenfluramine) eased brain inflammation, protected nerve cells from damage and death, and extended survival in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, a study showed. “These results support clinical observations that [Fintepla] may have benefits beyond seizures,” its scientists wrote. The article, “Fenfluramine increases survival…

STK-001, an investigational treatment for children and adolescents with Dravet syndrome, markedly reduced seizure frequency and improved cognition and behavior, according to new findings in Phase 1/2a clinical trials. “The substantial and sustained reductions in seizure frequency and improvements in cognition and behavior observed in our STK-001 clinical studies…

Nighttime monitoring devices are used by most Dravet syndrome caregivers — at least 75% — to detect seizures and prevent sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, according to the results of a questionnaire-based study in Germany. Such monitoring is important because, statistics show, children with Dravet have…

Newer antiseizure medications for children and adolescents with Dravet syndrome outperformed placebos and reduced seizure frequency by at least 50% in clinical trials, according to a pooled analysis of study data. The review also compared the benefits and safety of such therapies, each of which is approved in the…