Sharp Waves: ILAE's epilepsy podcast
Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people. Every day. Sharp Waves brings you stories about people with epilepsy, physicians treating epilepsy, and researchers studying the condition. We'll cover the latest research, challenges to diagnosis and treatment, and issues from around the world.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 25 minutes
- Episodes
- 89
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Postpartum morbidity and rehospitalization in women with epilepsy: Research recap
Dr. Bruna Nucera interviewed Dr. Andrea Cheng-Hakimian about a retrospective study that included 28 years of data from women with epilepsy who gave birth in Washington State…
Moving epilepsy care closer to home: Dr. Gagandeep Singh & Dr. Meenakshi Sharma
Can we improve epilepsy outcomes by bringing care closer to home? A cluster randomized trial compared home care with community health workers to standard clinic care.
ILAE sp…
Epilepsy care in Ukraine: Dr. Olha Tychkivska
How has the crisis in Ukraine affected people with epilepsy and their families, as well as the physicians who care for them? Dr. Alina Ivaniuk speaks with Dr. Olha Tychkivsk…
"Living with epilepsy should not be a secret": Jessie Nyirenda
Jessie Nyirenda's seizures began in her early teens. She was dismissed as attention-seeking and told she might be cursed. Years later, Jessie discovered information about he…
Addressing epilepsy stigma from the ground up: Mary Secco
Stigmatizing people with epilepsy is a form of discrimination, and it can affect all aspects of someone's life: school, family life, work, friendships, relationships, and ma…
Sleep and epilepsy: Dr. Birgit Frauscher
Bidirectional links between epilepsy and sleep have been known for thousands of years. Despite nearly a century of research using EEG investigations, the relationships are s…
Dr. Andres Kanner: A career journey bridging neurology and psychiatry
Dr. Andres Kanner is one of the best known researchers in the behavioral aspects of epilepsy, and has authored more than 300 papers and book chapters.
Dr. Kanner sat down wi…
Multi-centre Epilepsy Lesion Detection (MELD) Project: Dr. Konrad Wagstyl
Improving lesion detection in people with drug-resistant epilepsy is crucial for optimal surgical outcomes. The MELD Project is an open-science consortium using deep learnin…
Career development profile: Dr. Caroline Neuray
Dr. Alina Ivaniuk talks with Dr. Caroline Neuray about her career path from medical school to industry CEO. (It's not as direct as it sounds!) They discuss the power of peer…
NORSE/FIRES: International recommendations for diagnosis and treatment
First-line immunotherapy and the ketogenic diet are two main recommendations for treatment of NORSE/FIRES of unknown cause, according to results from an international consen…
Nursing in epilepsy care: Roles, value, and the road ahead
Nurses have been called the "glue" of epilepsy care, but their value and impact aren't always appreciated. The ILAE Nursing Section welcomes nurses from every country to hel…
Research recap: Infant motor and mental development in women with epilepsy - Dr. Sanjeev Thomas
Does in utero exposure to anti-seizure medication affect motor and mental development? A study using data from the Kerala Registry of Epilepsy in Pregnancy included more tha…
Epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease: Dr. Andrew Cole & Dr. Alice Lam
What are the associations between Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy? Dr. Patricia Saletti interviews Dr. Andrew Cole and Dr. Alice Lam.
Recent studies have revealed intriguin…
Career development profile: Dr. Meriem Bensalem-Owen
Dr. Alina Ivaniuk interviews Dr. Meriem Bensalem-Owen about growing up in Algeria, attending medical school during a civil war, moving to the United States for training, and…
Autoimmune-associated epilepsy: Dr. Claude Steriade
What is autoimmune-associated epilepsy, and how is it different from acute seizures with an autoimmune cause? How can clinicians best diagnose and treat these conditions? Sh…
Socioeconomic status and epilepsy incidence: Maloney et al., Epilepsia
We talk with the authors of a recent study that found a higher incidence of epilepsy in more socially deprived areas of County Cork, Ireland. How was the dataset compiled, a…
Career development profile: Dr. Fabio Nascimento
Dr. Alina Ivaniuk talks with Dr. Fábio Nascimento about his medical training and the factors contributing to his successful and varied career path.
Dr. Nascimento became the …
New epilepsy syndrome classifications: Dr. Elaine Wirrell & Dr. Kate Riney
What does it take to define and classify 39 epilepsy syndromes? Dr. Elaine Wirrell chaired the ILAE task force that undertook this charge in 2017. Through in-person meetin…
Sex hormones and epilepsy: Dr. Andrew Herzog
As many as two-thirds of women with epilepsy have seizures that fluctuate with their menstrual cycles. Called catamenial epilepsy, the phenomenon has three distinct patterns…
Life as a medical student with epilepsy: A clinical and personal perspective
In this episode, we talk with a third-year medical student, a neuroscience researcher, an avid rock climber, and a young man with epilepsy. The catch: They’re all the same p…