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As a Co-lead for this workshop series, I am entering an example topic for discussion here.

The idea to explore is what is the minimum z-resolution needed to capture and distinguish small ultrastructure objects (e.g. gap junctions, microtubules, neurofilaments, vesicles, polyribosomes, extracellular space, spine apparatus substructure, astroglial end processes, etc.) without overlap between objects across z. We want to... more »

Has evolution conserved microcircuitry that performs a small number of identifiable, verifiable canonical computations?

If so, connectomes can add value not by their completeness, but by their presentation of motifs which can be categorized as one of a number of basis functions. In spite of the ongoing, global, development of connectomes, we incompletely understand these general and reductionist questions:

Exactly what... more »

My name is John LaMuth and I would like to draw your attention to my own recently devised periodic table for the neurosciences that offers a crucial holistic overview of a top-down nature effectively complementing the bottom-up approach. This dual parameter grid represents a Cartesian coordinate system utilizing the basic neuro-anatomical parameters of input specificity and phylogenetic age, as described further at my... more »

It seems obvious that any one approach to mapping neural systems will leave behind a tremendous opportunity for many specific areas of science that are important for understanding of how neural systems work. This is true even from a fundamental resolution perspective as no conceivable approach could faithfully represent the detail required to describe circuit topology relationships between neurons and glia including synapses... more »

We propose a bold initiative to share data, infrastructure, new technologies and methods across centers to tackle some of the major challenges in treating refractory epilepsy. There is a clear gap between recent advances in technology to treat refractory seizures and their clinical translation. This is largely because individual centers do not have a sufficient number of patients or technical know-how to do the statistically... more »

Some of the greatest progress right now in precision therapies for genetic epilepsies is the result of parents of children with genetic epilepsies forming nonprofit organizations. These non-profits then raise funds for medical research. These organizations understand the urgency of the situation and they drive progress by being laser-focused on a specific genetic epilepsy. These genetic epilepsies are arguably among the... more »

This idea would accelerate promising treatments for the many stakeholders interested in advancing genetic therapies. Many of the patient advocates for monogenic epilepsies are viewing genetic therapies and a potential path towards a cure, with many working independently to achieve their goals. There have been innumerable advances in genetic diagnoses, availability of genetic testing (although there is more to do) and... more »

Benchmark 4 – Limit or prevent adverse consequences of seizures and their treatment across the lifespan.

• Research the relationship between sleep and seizures

• Explore prevalence of different multi-dien seizure cycles. Explore how seizure cycles impact expression of comorbidities.

• Assess the true incidence of epilepsy mortality including SUDEP. – Develop better surveillance tools and methods so that risk factors... more »

Epilepsy patients' research data are typically collected and stored in standalone de-identified database silos, making it impossible to merge or compare data across disparate research studies or give feedback to the patient. A patient-generated clinical research ID (CRID) could be used to merge and share data across different research studies for the same patient without revealing PHI/PII data. CRID enables a secure two-way... more »

As a community of 19 patient and professional groups across the epilepsy community, we applaud the work of the Benchmark Committee and NINDS for launching this open call for transformative priorities for "Curing the Epilepsies". Looking back over the 20 years invested in national conferences toward Curing the Epilepsies and 3 cycles of Benchmarks to set priorities, we are concerned that progress for persons living and... more »

We need a better protocols for tailoring anti-seizure medication (ASM) regimes or surgical treatment options for our children, especially the early-onset, drug-resistant epilepsies (DRE) within the DEE families - one that acts with urgency to define the best treatment available in an individualized plan based on the knowledge of the diagnosis, the types of seizures, and the values of the child and family. Yes, please... more »

Coming from the world of families with children ravaged by the many rare and catastrophic epilepsies, we suggest consideration of a benchmark where every child with epilepsy is enrolled in a clinical trial. Our children are already guinea pigs, but their experiences are not treated with the respect of a common lab rat. The vital data on the impact of the constantly changing cocktails to try to control their treatment... more »

There is a huge gap in this research area that pertains to Hispanic/Latinx patients with TLE and other epilepsy syndromes. Specifically, very little is known of whether Spanish-speaking patients with epilepsy have similar cognitive trajectories and post-operative cognitive outcome to other racial/ethnic groups. One of the limitations of conducting neuropsychological research with Spanish-speaking patients is the lack... more »

Brain organoids, a new class of brain surrogate, have gained traction as a model for studying the intricacies of the human brain by using advancements in stem cell biology to recapitulate aspects of the developing human brain in vitro. Brain organoids generated from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) offer a means to study human disease. Recent observation of nested EEG-like signals spontaneously emerge from these organoids... more »

This idea would assist the basic research community in transforming preclinical findings to clinical application.