Contribute to the Baumer Lab today!

Epilepsy is a common disorder,  affecting one in every hundred children. Along with seizures, epilepsy often creates difficulty with learning, attention and behavior. These cognitive problems diminish quality of life -  as much or more so than the seizures. The Baumer Lab  is working to understand how epilepsy causes these cognitive problems and exploring novel neurostimulation therapies to address them.


Dr. Fiona Baumer’s current research focuses on the two most common forms of pediatric epilepsy:

1.Benign Rolandic Epilepsy (also called Childhood or Benign Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (CECTS/BECTS))
2.Childhood Absence Epilepsy (CAE)

Benign Rolandic Epilepsy/Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes

Rolandic epilepsy accounts for 15% of all epilepsies in children. It typically occurs between 3 and 12 years old and is labeled “benign” because most children outgrow the condition by age 16. In addition to seizures, many children have difficulty with learning and language.

Children with Rolandic epilepsy have frequent bursts of abnormal brain activity called "centrotemporal spikes." Our lab is working to understand the impact that these spikes have on the brain to determine if they contribute to cognitive difficulties. We are also exploring if non-invasive brain stimulation using a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation can reduce spike frequency and improve cognition.

Childhood Absence Epilepsy (CAE)

About 5-8% of children with epilepsy have Childhood Absence Epilepsy. This condition is associated with absence seizures (also known as “petit mal seizures''), in which children suddenly stop what they are doing and stare. 

Children are typically not aware of their surroundings during these brief seizures, which can happen hundreds of times per day. Even after seizures are treated, children with absence epilepsy often have significant difficulties with attention and learning. 

Dr. Baumer is working with the Norcia and Huguenard labs to study the interaction between absence seizures and visual processing to determine if sensory stimulation can interrupt these seizures.

Thank you for supporting epilepsy research and Dr. Baumer's lab!

Your contribution is highly valuable as it will directly support the effort to understand pediatric epilepsy better and formulate more effective treatment options.