People with all forms of epilepsy can take part in our research at any age. This includes adults who may have outgrown a childhood epilepsy syndrome and those who have epilepsy but are not currently having seizures. Those who have only ever had febrile seizures (convulsions) are also eligible to participate. Additionally, even those with a known genetic mutation are invited to participate in our research.
If you or your child/relative has epilepsy and you are considering taking part in the research you can:
- Download and review our participant consent forms and information sheet (PDF format, 979K).
- Contact us
- Tel: +64 4 918 6147 or +64 4 918 6166
- Email: epilepsy.research@otago.ac.nz
If you contact us, one of our lovely research assistants will call (or email) you to answer any questions you may have and/or discuss the research in more depth. There is no obligation to participate following this conversation. If you do choose to participate, we will ask you to complete the needed consent forms and return them to us. We will then:
- Take a DNA sample from you/your child. This is usually taken from blood, but other options may be available when taking blood is not possible.
- Access and review relevant clinical records.
- Interview you about your/your child's seizures and medical history and draw a family tree.
You do not need to live in Wellington to participate in the study. We work with families all over New Zealand and further afield.
Most parts of the research can be done over the phone/through the post. Depending on the circumstance, we can arrange trips to visit our research participants, if needed.