630 West 168th Street
P & S Box 16
New York, NY 10032
phone: (212) 305-9188
fax : (212) 305-2526
Epilepsy Family Study
of Columbia University
Click here to apply through our
secure on-line Form
| Columbia
University Seeks Volunteers for Study of Heredity in Epilepsy |
||
| The Epilepsy Family Study
of Columbia University, led by Dr. Ruth Ottman, Professor of Epidemiology
at the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, is
seeking volunteers for a study of the role of heredity in epilepsy. |
||
 What
are our research goals and why are they important? Who
is eligible? What
is asked of volunteers? |
||
| What are our research goals and why are they important? | ||
Our goal is to identify genes that play a role in causing epilepsy. Identification of the genes that raise risk for epilepsy is potentially very important for early identification and treatment of susceptible individuals. It could also provide important basic information about the causes of epilepsy. This new information could lead to development of new treatments or strategies for prevention. |
||
| Who
is eligible? |
||
Right now we are focusing our research on two groups: 1. People who have particular form of epilepsy involving changes in their hearing associated with their seizures. You may be eligible if you or someone in your family has (or used to have) epilepsy with any of the following symptoms either before grand mal seizures or as a separate seizure type: |
||
| hearing
sounds that aren't really there, such as buzzing, ringing, humming
or other sounds |
||
| hearing
distortions of actual sounds, such as changes in volume (growing louder
or softer) |
||
| seizures
precipitated by sounds |
||
| any
other types of changes in hearing or auditory symptoms |
||
2. People who are members of families in which four or more living persons have (or used to have) ANY KIND of epilepsy that is not likely to have been caused by an acquired brain injury (e.g., severe head injury, stroke, or brain tumor). |
||
| What
is asked of volunteers? |
||
Volunteers will be interviewed over the telephone and asked to donate a small blood sample. A neurological exam, an EEG, and/or an MRI may also be included. There will be no cost to participants for any aspect of the study, and all information will be kept strictly confidential. This study is being carried out for research purposes only. It does not involve genetic testing. If you participate in the study, you will not be given any clinical or genetic information about yourself or your family members. However, your participation could be important for developing a genetic test in the future, and for learning about how genes influence the risk for epilepsy. Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. You can refuse to participate or withdraw from the study at any time and such a decision would not affect your medical care at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. |
and epilepsy?
volunteering
provide any advice regarding
treatment of epilepsy.
The Epilepsy Foundation
may have information to help you.
National Institutes of Health.
write to us if you have
any questions about our study.
1-877-EPI-GENE
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Last updated on: 04/03/2007
By Tsvyatko Dorovski