For Immediate Release: October 21, 2009

CONTACT: Herm Hill, Director of Communications - 518-474-6601 - 518-596-0446
herm.hill@omr.state.ny.us
Nicole Weinstein, Director of Public Information - 518-596-0446 - 518-366-4204
nicole.weinstein@omr.state.ny.us

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GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES $2.5M GRANT FOR OMRDD LAB

NIH Funds Awarded to Electrophysiology Lab at Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island

ALBANY, N.Y.: Governor David A. Paterson today announced that the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has awarded New York State a cooperative agreement research grant award for the NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) to study a promising therapy for a type of epilepsy. The NINDS will provide $2.5 million for OMRDD’s Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (IBR), Staten Island, to conduct the study.

The NIH funds will support studies in IBR’s Electrophysiology Laboratory, headed by Jeffrey H. Goodman, PhD, that aim to accelerate the translation of low-frequency sine wave stimulation (LFSWS) into a viable clinical therapy for partial-onset epilepsy. Deep brain electrical stimulation, which has proven to be an effective therapy for Parkinson’s disease, is actively being investigated as a therapy for epilepsy. LFSWS uses a low frequency (1 Hz) sine wave electrical stimulus, which in animal studies has been shown to dramatically reduce the incidence of experimentally induced seizures. In order to move LFSWS from pre-clinical testing to clinical trials, Dr. Goodman and his team of basic researchers at IBR will collaborate with industry scientists at NeuroPace, Inc., Mountain View, CA, who are currently developing neurostimulation devices for clinical therapy. The ultimate goal is to identify stimulation paradigms that are effective, safe and do not interfere with normal brain function, and can be incorporated in an implantable device.

“This NIH grant will speed the development of this treatment that may bring seizure relief to a broader population of epilepsy patients than can treatments that are currently available,” said Governor Paterson. “With nearly 180,000 adults who have epilepsy living in New York, this relief cannot come too soon.”

OMRDD provides high-quality, person-centered services, supports and advocacy to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Its research arm, IBR, conducts basic and clinical research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. IBR also provides specialized biomedical, psychological, and laboratory services to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, and holds public and professional education programs regarding the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of developmental disabilities.

OMRDD Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter said: “We know that people with developmental disabilities are more likely to have epilepsy. We look forward to this study helping individuals with develop-mental disabilities and epilepsy live healthier lives.”

W. Ted Brown, MD, PhD, Director of IBR, said, “I am pleased that IBR’s research will contribute to the translation of these promising findings into a therapy for partial-onset epilepsy.”