Epilepsy Seminar Series: Cognitive Vulnerability in Late-onset Unexplained Epilepsy: Early Findings from the ELUCID Study
Cognitive Vulnerability in Late-onset Unexplained Epilepsy: Early Findings from the ELUCID Study
The highest incidence of epilepsy occurs in older adults. Among those with late-onset epilepsy, the most common cause is unexplained, accounting for ~ 30% of cases. Dr. Lam will discuss the relationships between late-onset unexplained epilepsy (LoUE) and cognitive decline, reviewing the epidemiologic data that support these associations. She will then introduce the ELUCID study, a multi-center prospective longitudinal study of late-onset unexplained epilepsy as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. She will share emerging results from ELUCID, demonstrating the heterogeneity of cognitive performance in LoUE, identifying clinical factors associated with cognitive impairments in LoUE, and highlighting the multidimensional nature of cognitive vulnerability in LoUE.
Alice D. Lam
Alice D. Lam, M.D., PhD, is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital. As a physician, Dr. Lam takes care of patients in both the subspecialty Epilepsy Clinic as well as the Memory Disorders Unit. Her clinical and translational research program explores the interface between epilepsy, the neurodegenerative diseases, sleep, and cognition, using a combination of neurophysiology, neuroimaging, blood biomarkers, and cognitive outcomes. She currently serves as Principal Investigator of the ELUCID Study, an NIH-funded, multi-center prospective longitudinal study on late-onset unexplained epilepsy as a risk factor for dementia. She received the American Academy of Neurology Dreifuss-Penry Epilepsy Award in 2025 and was named the Chen Institute Mass General Brigham Research Scholar in 2026.
Associate Professor of Neurology
Harvard Media School
Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute
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