Courses

4EU+ Elective Course on Pathogenesis of Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the most chronic neurological disorder affecting 40 million people worldwide. Approximately one third of people with epilepsy don’t respond to available anti-seizure therapy. The effective cure for epilepsy still represents an unmet need. The development of innovative therapies is the priority of contemporary epilepsy research 

To achieve this goal, the professionals working in epilepsy research need to understand the molecular, structural, and functional mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of epilepsy and seizures combined with the understanding of the emerging technologies that can be used to study and treat epilepsy. 

In response to this need, we have brought together a faculty of epilepsy specialists to develop an international course that will be delivered online. This 50-hour online course introduces the participants to the basic principles of epilepsies. The topics cover molecular, cellular, and network mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsies.   

The course is highly didactic and composed of lectures and interactive sessions where attention is paid to the active involvement of participants and close interaction between students and tutors. The course is free of charge. 

The faculty involves internationally recognized leaders in epilepsy research and clinical epileptology. 

 

The course explores the neurobiology of epilepsy from basic and clinical perspectives. The main objectives of this course are to deepen your knowledge on the pathophysiology of epilepsy and seizure, introduce you to modern research tools that are used in epilepsy research and identify the current challenges and complex issues in epilepsy. After the course the participant will be able to:   

  • Understand the cellular, network, molecular and metabolic processes that characterize the chronic epileptic tissue, epileptic neurons, pathological activity present between seizures and seizures. 
  • Describe how the mechanisms vary in various forms of epilepsy ranging from focal epilepsy to generalized one and epileptic encephalopathies.  
  • Recognize the mechanisms that are responsible for the development of epilepsy. 
  • Understand how various types of lesions lead to the development of epilepsy and seizures.  
  • Understand how brain development and brain aging affect the brain susceptibility to develop epilepsy and the underlying mechanism. 
  • Understand the basic principles of various research techniques and what information they provide to gain insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of epilepsy.  
  • Recognize how understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms and pathogenesis of epilepsy is relevant for understanding the effect of currently available anti-seizure medication and developing new diagnostic techniques and epilepsy therapy.  
  • Identify the current challenges of epilepsy research 
  • Understand the needs of people with epilepsy and their expectations from the research 

 

Application deadline 2021-12-15

Start date: 2022-02-26

End date: 2022-06-11

Registration fee: free of charge

Created: 15. 9. 2021 / Modified: 10. 11. 2021 / Responsible person: prof. RNDr. Václav Hampl, DrSc.