Epilepsy Sparks Insights

Sparking interest and understanding in the epilepsies whilst bridging the communication gap between epilepsy patients, clinicians, scientists, geneticists – and the world. Hosted by Torie Robinson. **NOT FOR CLINICAL OR PATIENT DECISION-MAKING* Visit www.torierobinson.com & www.epilepsysparks.com.

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Episodes

4 days ago

Is seizure freedom enough in epilepsy care? Dr. Lucretia Long, epilepsy specialist nurse practitioner, shares why care must go beyond seizure control - with psychiatric symptoms, medication side effects, and cognitive challenges shaping quality of life just as much as seizures. This episode explores how to individualise care, why patient priorities must lead decisions, and how small, realistic changes can improve wellbeing.
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en
 
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🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
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🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider!
 
🔤 Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
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Thursday Apr 09, 2026

Delays in epilepsy surgery referral are not just about access and are not limited to one region. Epileptologist Asst. Prof. Juan Perez discusses paediatric epilepsy surgery across Latin America, where services exist but remain underutilised, and how misconceptions, training gaps, and system-level barriers continue to prevent eligible children from being referred for surgical evaluation, as well as what needs to change to improve access and outcomes.
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
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🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
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🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider!
 
🔤 Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
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Thursday Apr 02, 2026

What happens when epilepsy medication doesn’t work? Prof. John Duncan explains how treatment decisions evolve beyond medication, from resective surgery to neuromodulation, and how patients and clinicians weigh these options together. The conversation covers real-world outcomes, risks, and the balance between seizure control, cognitive function, and quality of life.
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
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🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider!
 
🔤 Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks
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Thursday Mar 26, 2026

Why does epilepsy still receive so little funding, attention and public understanding compared to other diseases? Intellectual disability nurse Jay Price discusses why epilepsy remains underfunded and badly marketed, alongside misdiagnosis, quality of life, and how co-produced training could improve epilepsy care!
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en 
 
🔗 More about episode (inc. transcription) 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights/epilepsy-ignored
 
🌐 More about Jay 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/guests/jay-price
 
📃 Paper "Epilepsy, it's just not sexy, is it?’: A qualitative exploration into health and social care professionals' perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities and epilepsy, in social care" 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsybehavior.com/article/S1525-5050(25)00437-8/fulltext
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
https://epilepsy-sparks.creator-spring.com
 
🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider!
 
🔤 Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks
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- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@epilepsysparks
- Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/epilepsysparks.bsky.social

Thursday Mar 19, 2026

Many epilepsy lesions that cause seizures are missed on routine MRI scans, delay diagnosis and surgery. Dr. Konrad Wagstyl discusses his research using AI and large MRI datasets to detect subtle abnormalities such as focal cortical dysplasia and hippocampal sclerosis. The conversation explores how these tools help identify surgical candidates earlier and improve outcomes in epilepsy!
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en
 
🔗 More about episode (inc. transcription) 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights/mri-lesion-detection-ai
 
🌐 More about Konrad 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/guests/konrad-wagstyl
 
📃 Paper "Automated and Interpretable Detection of Hippocampal Sclerosis in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: AID-HS" 👇🏻
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ana.27089
 
🎞️ MELD project guide 👇🏻
https://www.youtube.com/@MELDproject 
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
https://epilepsy-sparks.creator-spring.com
 
🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider! 🔤
 
Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/epilepsysparks
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/epilepsysparks
- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@epilepsysparks
- Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/epilepsysparks.bsky.social 

Thursday Mar 12, 2026

Generalised epilepsy is often described as involving the whole brain at once. But does it start all at once? Dr. Frederic Schaper discusses research mapping subtle brain abnormalities to shared brain networks in generalised epilepsy, and how these networks overlap with targets used for deep brain stimulation. The conversation explores what this may reveal about seizure mechanisms and future neuromodulation research.
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en 
 
🔗 More about episode (inc. transcription) 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights/generalised-epilepsy-network-dbs 
 
🌐 More about Frederic 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/guests/frederic-schaper 
 
📃 Paper "A generalized epilepsy network derived from brain abnormalities and deep brain stimulation" 👇🏻
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57392-7
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
https://epilepsy-sparks.creator-spring.com
 
🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider! 🔤
 
Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/epilepsysparks
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/epilepsysparks
- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@epilepsysparks
- Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/epilepsysparks.bsky.social ​

Thursday Mar 05, 2026

Psychiatric symptoms are common in the epilepsies, yet they are often overlooked in clinical care. Dr. Andres M. Kanner, epileptologist and Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Miami, explains why mental health symptoms are central to epilepsy outcomes - not peripheral! Topics include depression, anxiety, psychosis, ADHD, suicide risk, family psychiatric history, and how these factors influence antiseizure medication choices and quality of life.
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en 
 
🔗 More about episode (inc. transcription) 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights/mental-health-epilepsy 
 
🌐 More about Andres 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/guests/andres-miguel-kanner 
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
https://epilepsy-sparks.creator-spring.com
 
🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider! 🔤
 
Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/epilepsysparks
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/epilepsysparks
- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@epilepsysparks
- Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/epilepsysparks.bsky.social ​

Thursday Feb 26, 2026

Flash-back to our most popular episode*! Epileptologist & neurologist Dr. Ángel Aledo-Serrano talks of his review and opinion on a former paper regarding the antiseizure medication Levetiracetam/Keppra, its effectiveness in controlling seizures, but also the importance of precision medicine. He also speaks of the need to improve prescribing and avoid polypharmacy for people with an epilepsy, the need for further qualitative research into treatment and care, and convincing clinicians that epilepsy is far more than seizures alone. This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by 
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH, who had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en
 
🔗 More about episode (inc. transcription) 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights/keppra-levetiracetam-quality-of-life 
 
🌐 More about Ángel 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/guests/angel-aledo-serrano 
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
https://epilepsy-sparks.creator-spring.com
 
🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider! 🔤
 
Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/epilepsysparks
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/epilepsysparks
- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@epilepsysparks
- Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/epilepsysparks.bsky.social ​
 
 
*2023

Thursday Feb 19, 2026

Who should receive genetic testing in epilepsy, and how should results really be interpreted? Epileptologist and scientist Dr. Christian Bosselmann explores genome sequencing, diagnostic yield, variants of uncertain significance, and why results are rarely black and white. The discussion highlights how quickly things are changing in epilepsy genetics and how re-analysis and improved interpretation can meaningfully influence clinical decision-making. This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis GmbH, who had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en
 
🔗 More about episode (inc. transcription) 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights/genetic-testing-variant-interpretation
 
🌐 More about Christian 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/guests/christian-bosselmann
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻
https://epilepsy-sparks.creator-spring.com
 
🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider! 🔤
 
Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻
https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/epilepsysparks
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/epilepsysparks
- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@epilepsysparks
- Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/epilepsysparks.bsky.social ​
 

Thursday Feb 12, 2026

Who is already using generative AI in health care, and what does the evidence actually show? Researcher Charlotte Blease, PhD, examines the positives, patient and clinician uptake, emerging risks, and where major gaps in training, policy, and research remain. The discussion explores mental health use, long-term conditions, empathy, and why regulation is struggling to keep pace with real-world practice.
This episode is sponsored by EASEE® by Precisis and had no influence over the editorial content or discussion. Learn more about EASEE® here: https://precisis.de/en
 
🔗 More about episode (inc. transcription) 👇🏻https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights/ai-in-healthcare-evidence 
 
🌐 More about Charlotte 👇🏻https://www.epilepsysparks.com/guests/charlotte-blease 
 
👕 Join the Epilepsy Sparks community with our merch 👇🏻https://epilepsy-sparks.creator-spring.com
 
🌐 More Epilepsy Sparks Insights 👇🏻https://www.epilepsysparks.com/epilepsy-sparks-insights
 
🎧 Listen to the Epilepsy Sparks Insights podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite provider!
 
🔤 Don’t understand all the terms used? Check out the Epilepsy Sparks Glossary! 👇🏻https://www.epilepsysparks.com/glossary
 
📲 Join us on social media!- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/epilepsy-sparks- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/epilepsysparks- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/epilepsysparks- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@epilepsysparks- Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/epilepsysparks.bsky.social ​

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