Research links Epilepsy and a form of HPV

Research has shown a link between a difficult-to-treat form of epilepsy to a certain strain of HPV that can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy.

Local researchers have found a link between a form of epilepsy and a common cause of cervical cancer.

Dr. Peter Crino, professor of neurology at Temple University School of Medicine, says Shriners Hospital pediatric researchers at Temple have discovered evidence linking human papillomavirus 16, which causes cervical cancer, to a common and difficult-to-treat form of epilepsy in children and adults.

“This is particularly interesting, because it provides a potential cause for how these brain lesions actually form during development and it would also be the first time that human papillomavirus has been identified in the human brain,” he says.

Crino suspects the virus is transmitted from mother to baby during development, and if a medical treatment is found for cervical cancer, that treatment could be used to treat this type of epilepsy.

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Study: Migraines Linked to More Brain Lesions Among Women

Results of a new study show that women who have migraines more commonly have brain lesions, which is associated with cognitive decline.

A new study shows that women who experience migraines have shown a higher prevalence and greater increase in deep white matter hyperintensities (brain lesions) than those who do not. However, the number, frequency, and severity of the migraines the women experienced were not associated with lesion progression.

The study, published this week in theJournal of the American Medical Association, looked at the association between migraine frequency, brain lesions, and cognitive decline. 286 participants in the 2000 Cerebral Abnormalities in Migrane Epidemiological Risk Analysis were given MIR scans in 2009. Researchers found that 77% of the women in the migrane group had progression of brain lesions, compared to 60% of the control group. Among men, no association was found between migraines and brain lesions. The results were controlled for age, sex, hyper tension, diabetes, and level of education.

“In addition, the number of migraines, frequency of migraines, migraine severity, type of migraine, and migraine therapy were not associated with lesion progression,” said the study’s authors. “Increase in deep white matter hyperintensity volume was not significantly associated with poorer cognitive performance at follow-up.”

In the past, brain lesions have been associated with cognitive decline, as well as atherosclerotic disease risk factors and an increased risk of ischemic stoke. Migraines affect up to 15% fo the general population, according to the study’s authors.

“In summary, in a community-based cohort followed up for 9 years, migraine was associated only with a higher incidence of deep white matter brain changes among women,” said the study’s authors. “There were no significant associations of migraine with progression of other brain lesions among women, and there were no associations of migraine headache with progression of any brain lesions among men. These findings raise questions about the role of migraine headaches with progression of cerebral vascular changes. The functional implications of MRI brain lesions in women with migraine and their possible relation with ischemia and ischemic stroke warrant further research.”

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