Epilepsy

Whether you have occasional or frequent seizures from epilepsy, our specialists can help you get them under control.

When you come to mid-Missouri’s most complete epilepsy care program, you get access to our team’s unmatched experience. You also get the most advanced nonsurgical and surgical treatments at our Level 4 epilepsy center.

You don’t have to manage seizures on your own. Our epilepsy care team includes:

Epileptologists (neurologists specializing in epilepsy): Oversee your treatment plan.
Neurosurgeons: Offer implantable devices and surgery to control seizures.
Neuroradiologists: Perform and review advanced imaging tests on the brain.
Neuropsychologists: Assess your brain functions for signs of damage caused by seizures.
Epilepsy coordinators: Helps you with scheduling, insurance and other issues, so you can focus on your treatment.

In addition to treating adults, MU Health Care has pediatric neurologists who provide family-focused care for kids with epilepsy.

Epilepsy Symptoms in Adults

In adults, seizures from epilepsy can cause symptoms such as:

Confusion
Jerking or twitching
Loss of consciousness (passing out)
Memory issues
Personality changes
Repetitive movements, like hand rubbing
Staring
Unexplained falls

Epilepsy can have a lot of causes, including genetics, tumors, traumatic brain injuries, infections, stroke and other reasons. Without treatment, reoccurring seizures can harm brain functions such as memory. Our team works with all types of epilepsy and can help get yours under control.

Getting Help for Seizures

Whether you’ve had seizures all your life or have just had your first seizure, we can help. Your primary care provider or another specialist can refer you to us, or you can contact us directly.

We also offer second opinions if your current treatment isn’t controlling your seizures.

How We Diagnose Epilepsy

To get a better understanding of your seizures, we’ll usually start by admitting you to our epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) for one to seven days. Our team will take your medical and family history and perform an exam. You’ll also have noninvasive brain tests and neuropsychological testing.

Noninvasive Brain Tests

Some of the tests you’ll have include:

Electroencephalogram (EEG): Records electrical signals in your brain.
7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): May be used with and without contrast to look for brain areas causing seizures. We also offer 1.5-Tesla and 3-Tesla MRIs if you are not a candidate for the 7-Tesla.
Functional MRI: Tests brain function.
Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT): Uses a small amount of radiation to measure brain metabolism.
Single-photon emission CT (SPECT): Can show where a seizure begins in the brain. We offer both interictal SPECT (between seizures) and ictal SPECT (during a seizure).
Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy: Sometimes used to examine levels of brain chemicals.

Neuropsychological Testing

A neuropsychologist, who specializes in helping adults with epilepsy, will measure your mental functions to determine whether and to what extent seizures have affected your cognitive (thinking) abilities. They’ll work with members of your care team to help address any memory, language or behavior issues.

After your testing, our epileptologists, neuropsychologists, neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons will review your results as a team. Based on the location and type of epilepsy, we’ll come up with a personalized treatment plan that meets your needs and goals.

Advanced Brain Testing (Intracranial Monitoring)

If you’re considering surgery to reduce seizures, we may recommend intracranial monitoring to map areas of your brain. We typically use stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), which involves placing electrodes in your brain to find the exact location of seizures. Using the results from your SEEG, we can determine whether surgery is appropriate for you.

How We Treat Epilepsy

With personalized treatment, many adults can live seizure-free or greatly reduce their seizures and improve their quality of life. Our neurologists and neurosurgeons work together to determine the best approach for you. Whether your plan includes medication, implantable devices or surgery, we are here to help you find relief from seizures.

Antiseizure (Anticonvulsant) Medication

Anticonvulsant medications can help you live seizure-free. Our epileptologists will personalize your medications to your specific needs. However, if you still have seizures after trying two or more medications, or you have negative side effects from medication, we can suggest other treatments.

Implantable Devices (Neuromodulation Therapy)

These innovative devices can help reduce the frequency of seizures. Options include:

Vagus nerve stimulation: When seizures are not localized or surgery isn’t an option, a small device can be placed under the skin in the chest and send gentle electrical pulses to the brain via the vagus nerve.
Deep brain stimulation: Uses electrodes in the brain to deliver electrical signals on schedule to reduce seizures.
Responsive neurostimulation (RNS): Responsive system implanted in the skull that detects abnormal brain activity and delivers targeted stimulation to prevent seizures before they start.

After having a device implanted, you’ll see us every few months so we can check the settings.

Brain Surgery (Resection and Ablation)

Our neurosurgeons offer the latest surgical treatments to remove or eliminate brain tissue that triggers seizures, including:

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT): A minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses a laser to target the small area of the brain causing seizures. This approach may be best for patients with a well-defined seizure focus.
Open surgical resection of brain tissue: Removes tissue (such as malformations or tumors) responsible for seizures.

Whenever possible, our skilled neurosurgeons use less invasive approaches like “keyhole” incisions to reduce complications and recovery times. And our advanced MRI brain navigation systems help significantly reduce the risks associated with brain surgery.

Our team also offers special tests that can improve outcomes from epilepsy surgery, such as:

Functional MRI (fMRI): Used for brain mapping for language and motor function.
WADA testing: Maps parts of the brain that control functions like language and memory.
Intraoperative EEG: Gives more details about your brain’s electrical function.

Clinical Trials

As a Level 4 epilepsy center, we regularly test new diagnostic and treatment methods for epilepsy. For example, our team is currently testing new medications and studying new methods that help find the seizure focus.