An enlighten finding published in New England Journal of Medicine revealed that one of the oldest and most trusted anti-seizure drug titled ethosuximide can prove to be the most beneficial medication for the treatment of “childhood epilepsy”.

Childhood epilepsy is a medical disorder involving episodes of irregular electrical discharge in the brain and characterized by the periodic sudden loss or impairment of consciousness, often accompanied by convulsions. This study was conducted in order to find the best drug to treat the disorder as no significant contribution has been done in the past towards the concern.

Colin Roberts, M. D., OHSU Doernbecher's principal investigator said, "Much of our scientific understanding of childhood epilepsy care today comes from historical experience or studies involving adult patients with related, but not identical, conditions.”

The research was carried out on 453 children who were reported of having contracted childhood epilepsy from the period extending from July 2004 to October 2007. The study was based on a comparison of three drugs generally used for the disorder namely ethosuximide, valproic acid or lamotrigine. The study went on for 16 weeks and the results were in favor of ethosuximide.