Earthquakes and epilepsy 'linked'

TECHNIQUES for forecasting earthquakes could also be used to predict when epilepsy sufferers will have fits, researchers have found.Scientists in the United States compared brain activity recorded in epileptic seizures with seismological data.They discovered striking similarities, notably that the longer the period since a previous fit or earthquake, the longer until the next one. And they say, in New Scientist magazine, this shared pattern of "waiting times" indicates that seizures and quakes may not happen at random.The researchers, led by neurologist Ivan Osorio from the University of Kansas, wrote: "This suggests a novel research direction for the prediction of seizures based on the notion that seizures beget seizures.[[["The study also reveals a similarity between the small tremors that precede large earthquakes and the tiny spikes in the brain's electrical activity just before a seizure.]]]Earthquakes and epileptic fits can be described by so-called "power laws", often used to link apparently random events, the scientists showed. Matthew Walker, of the experimental epilepsy group at University College London's Institute of Neurology, told New Scientist a proven way of predicting seizures could "revolutionise" sufferers' lives. But he cautioned that the US team had not yet shown that its method could do this.Epilepsy is a condition in which disturbances in the brain's normal electrical activity lead to recurring fits or brief episodes of altered consciousness. One person in 50 will develop epilepsy at some time in their life. Allana Parker, from Epilepsy Scotland, said if doctors could predict seizures, it could minimise the trauma for patients and their families.The full article contains 265 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech/-Earthquakes-and-epilepsy-39linked39.3657630.jp
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