Epilepsy Resarch Group

Liu Lab

Research that Shapes Practice

Epilepsy is a common, chronic, and debilitating neurological condition, characterized by recurrent seizures that can disrupt daily life, causing accidents, trauma, or even premature death1,2. Many epilepsy patients have the condition for life3, which leads to significant social and financial burdens on patients and their caregivers. Epilepsy affects people of all ages and sexes, with men more frequently affected1,3. The prevalence of active epilepsy is 6.38 per 1,000 persons, while the lifetime prevalence is 7.6 per 1,000 persons4. Thus, over 50 million people worldwide may suffer from epilepsy.

Current treatments aim to reduce the frequency of seizures while improving the patient’s quality of life. These include medications, implantable devices, surgical procedures, and non-pharmaceutical measures such as ketogenic diet and other dietary treatments3. Unfortunately, due to the various underlying causes of epilepsy, there is no cure.

Our Mission

Epilepsy may be caused by a variety of conditions, including stroke, cancer, and toxic exposures, but it most commonly arises from genetic changes. Our research focuses on genetic epilepsy and will help us understand the roles of genes such as ASH1L and SLC13A5 through clinical patient studies and mouse models. Our work will advance treatment options for these disorders and deepen the understanding of epilepsy.

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Our Research

Dive into some of the exciting projects we are working on.

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Publications

See a list of, and links to, Dr. Liu's published work.

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    Footnotes
    1. Yang, L-z., Guo, Y, Wang, Z-q. & Zhang, C-q. A population-based analysis of the global burden of epilepsy across all age groups (1990–2021): utilizing the Global Burden of Disease 2021 data. Frontiers in Neurology. Volume 15 - 2024 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1448596
    2. Gonzalez-Viana, E, Sen, A, Bonnon, A, Cross, JH. Epilepsies in children, young people, and adults: summary of updated NICE guidance. BMJ 378, o1446 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o1446
    3. Boele, F, et al. Health-related quality of life and unmet needs of people with epilepsy and their family caregivers: A systematic scoping review. Epilepsy & Behavior. 171, 110601 (2025). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2025.110601
    4. Fiest, KM, et al. Prevalence and incidence of epilepsy. Neurology. 88, 296-303 (2017). https://doi.org/doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000003509