The group includes the research group Translational Epilepsy Research.

ERGO focuses on:

  • Studies of basic mechanisms for the development of epilepsy; epileptogenesis with emphasis on the role of astrocytes both as a cause of hyperexcitability, but also as a target for new treatment.
  • Status epilepticus. Large research field with both basic and clinical studies.
  • Epilepsy after head injuries - post-traumatic epilepsy.
  • Mechanisms of epileptogenesis studied in zebrafish. In particular, the effect of various anti-seizure drugs on inflammatory markers, as well as genetics, is investigated.
  • Is temporal lobe epilepsy, TLE, a progressive disorder? Long-term clinical follow-up of patients with TLE that includes clinical, radiological and neuropsychological examinations over ten years.
  • Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; SUDEP/epilepsy and cardiology.
  • Prehospital management of convulsions. Cooperation with the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation.

The group is also involved in projects related to epilepsy and cognitive impairment, and in a project related to the introduction of digital communication between patients and healthcare personnel. 

Individual researchers are also involved in other studies, with their own collaboration partners nationally and internationally.

Prioritized research areas

Can the brain's astrocytes be a new point of attack for treatment of epilepsy and migraine?

This project aims to discover new and potentially curative treatment targets for people with "hyperexcitability disorders", such as migraine and epilepsy. The project uses an established epilepsy mouse model and pioneering techniques, such as 2-photon microscopy and optogenetics.

Project leader is Kjell Heuser. The project is a collaboration between two strong research groups: the Epilepsy Research Group in Oslo ERGO, OUS and UiO, and the Lettensenter/GliaLab, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, UiO, led by professor Rune Enger.

Status epilepticus

This is an important research field for the group with a number of both basal/translational and clinical dstudies. Firstly, we are gathering national experience on how patients with this condition are treated in Norway and we have taken the initiative to, and also established, a national reference group for Status Epilepticus SE.

Secondly, we have established a good, international collaboration with Prof. Christoph Patrick Beier and his group in Odense, Denmark. The joint clinical projects primarily concern prognosis in SE, both in the short and long term. Age is an obvious risk factor for poor outcome after SE, and both clinical studies and animal studies on the effect of age are currently underway.

We are also one of the centers that have taken the initiative and started a European SE registry. Inclusion of Norwegian patients has started. In a few years, this will provide unique opportunities for further clinical research in the field with a large and shared database.

Traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic epilepsy

Possible predictive values of various clinical, genetic and inflammatory parameters, measured immediately after traumatic brain injuries are studied. Defining a prognostic factor or score already immediately after trauma will have major clinical implications.

This is a joint project with groups primarily in the USA and Italy.

In addition, studies have been carried out on early post-traumatic seizures,  based on databases at the Department of Neurosurgery, and studies based on the national trauma registry in recent years.

Project managers are Hild Flatmark Sødal and Erik Taubøll, ERGO, Department of Neurology, and Eirik Helseth, Department of Neurosurgery.

Mechanisms of epileptogenesis and effects of anti-seizure drugs studied in zebrafish

Studies of the effect of various anti-seizure drugs on gene expression related to immune genes in zebrafish have recently been completed. Further studies of mechanisms involved in epileptogenesis, and the effect of both different antiseizure medications; ASMs, and anti-inflammatory drugs on these processes in zebrafish, are starting up in the end of 2025.

This is a collaboration between the Epilepsy Research Group in Oslo ERGO, OUS, Kalnes Hospital Trust, and the Norwegian Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Medicine; NCMBM,UiO.

UiO Project leaders are Monika Mochol (ERGO, kalnes, NCMBM), Camila Esguerra, NCMBM, Erik Taubøll, ERGO.

Is epilepsy a progressive disease?

This is a prospective longitudinal follow-up study of people with temporal lobe epilepsy; Pro-TLE, focusing on changes in clinical, radiological (MRI), and neuropsychological status over a period of ten years. The follow-up is still ongoing and will end in 2028.

Project leader is Kjell Heuser, ERGO.

Epilepsy and cardiology

It has become increasingly clear that several epilepsies are channelopathies, as are many cardiac arrhythmias. This is of central importance in understanding sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; SUDEP. We have now studied in more detail the relationship between heart and brain including possible EEG changes in patients with long QT syndrome and the effects of several years of active epilepsy on heart function.

Project leaders are Dag Aurlien, ERGO, Department of Neurology, Stavanger university hospital, and Erik Taubøll, ERGO.

Prehospital seizure control - PreCtrl

The purpose is to describe prehospital treatment of patients with seizures - in order to subsequently standardize national guidelines and improve time to control in acute and prehospital seizure management. We also plan to implement a new model for standardizing competence, communication, and treatment for prehospital seizure assessment.

This is a collaboration with the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation, OsloMet, and the Department of Prehospital Services, Oslo University Hospital.

Project manager is Maren Ranhoff Hov.

In addition to these main areas, the group also has interests in epilepsy and endocrinology, women and epilepsy, epilepsy and dementia, and genetics in epilepsy.

Long-term goals

The group will increasingly focus its research on these main projects, especially the top four.

The international collaboration will gradually be strengthened, both within translational research, but also within several clinical studies, such as post-traumatic epilepsy and status epilepticus. Several studies are now ongoing with respect to status epilepticus. We will follow up on the European registry, but also build a national network.

We want to further build-up of basic and translational research, linked to the animal model with intracortical kainate injection, which makes it possible to study mechanisms of importance for epileptogenesis, and how these can be affected by various drugs and interventions.

In addition, the work on basic research in zebrafish is being strengthened together with NCMBM/UiO.

Cooperation

This broad range of methods requires close collaboration with research groups in Norway and abroad.

National

  • Glia cells research group; GLIALAB – Letten Center, UiO, Associate Professor Rune Enger
  • Østfold Hospital Trust, Kalnes
  • NCMBM; Norwegian Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Medicine, Professor Camila Esguerra and her group. Research related to zebra fish
  • Stavanger University hospital, Project leader for epilepsy and cardiology Dag Aurlien
  • Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation, Senior Researcher Maren Ranhoff Hov
  • National Centre for Epilepsy in Norway SSE

International

  • International League Against Epilepsy ILAE, Consortium on Complex Epilepsies
  • Cure - post-traumatic epilepsy initiative, multinational collaboration, principal investigator prof. Pavel Klein, Washington DC, USA
  • Prof. Annamaria Vezzani, Laboratory of Experimental Neurology, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological research, Milan, Italy
  • Prof. Christoph Beier and his group, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark