§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research is being undertaken to combat epilepsy; and if he is satisfied with the financial provisions and the provision of facilities for sufferers of epilepsy in the West Midlands.
§ Mr. MoyleI assume my hon. Friend is referring to biomedical research and not to research relating to service provision.
132WI am informed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science that the Medical Research Council is supporting the following relevant research:
Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge—Triggering Mechanisms in photosensitive epilepsy
Medical Research Council Brain Metabolism Unit—Pharmacological and biochemical studies in clinical epilepsy
Experimental models of epilepsy—use to study biochemical physiological changes in brain and mode of action of anticonvulsant drugs.
Development of computer techniques for analysis of EEG activity particularly in paroxysmal abnormalities in epilepsy and drug actions on brain
Medical Research Council Neurological Protheses Unit, London—Cerebellar stimulators for the treatment of epilepsy
Medical Research Council Statistical Research and Services Unit, London—Long term anticonvulsant drug therapy and cancer
Dr. A. M. Halliday, Institute for Neurology, National Hospital, London—Changes in cerebral evoked potentials in patients with various lesions of nervous system and sense organs (with special reference to multiple sclerosis).
Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, London—Synaptic mechanisms in the central nervous system, amino acids and epilepsy.
Department of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, London—Long-duration recordings from epileptic patients.
Clinical evaluation of the relative hepatic microsomal enzyme inducing potencies of antiepileptic drugs.
Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Psychiatry, London—Measurement of the effects of age and disease on the human brain.
Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry, London—The drug treatment of epilepsy.
Hormonal responses, cerebral metabolism and cerebral blood flow in epilepsy.
Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London—Variables determining the development of the secondary discharging ("epileptic") focus.
Department of Biochemistry, St. Thomas' Hospital Medical School, London—Energy metabolism and synaptic transmission.
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, London—Pharmacokinetics and phenobarbitone in epileptic patients on long-term therapy.
Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London—Bio-chemistry of synaptic and neurosecretory processes in the mammalian central nervous system.
Biochemistry of synaptic processes in the mammalian central nervous system.
133WDepartment of Physiology, University College, London—Control of anticonvulsant therapy in epilepsy by quantitative assessment of the electro encephalogram.
Department of Biochemistry, University College, Cardiff—A rational approach to the improvement of enzyme induced inhibitors.
Department of Psychology, Keele University—The behaviour of children following febrile convulsions in infancy.
Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford—Experimental studies of cognitive deficit in developmental and neurological disorders.
Department of Physiology, University of Sheffield—Mechanism of action of anaesthetic and convulsant agents.
Department of Medicine, University of Southampton—Evaluation of the effects of chronic cerebellar stimulation for epilepsy.
Other research is being undertaken in universities and hospital medical schools but details are not centrally available.
I am not aware of any particular deficiency in financial or service provision in the West Midlands, but I should be glad to look into any cases of difficulty my hon. Friend may have in mind.