About childhood epilepsy:

Disease: Epilepsy is a brain disorder marked by recurring seizures. It is diagnosed in about 45,000 children a year nationwide.

Symptoms: Most children have grand mal seizures, which can last as long as two minutes and involve stiffening, falling to the ground, clenching teeth and convulsions.

About 10 percent of children suffer petit mal or "absence seizures." These usually last less than 30 seconds, but can occur dozens, sometimes hundreds of times a day. Children typically stop moving or speaking, stare blankly and do not respond to questions.

Causes: The causes of petit mal seizures are not fully understood. Researchers suspect inherited genetic factors, past brain injury, and complications from other diseases.

Treatments: The three leading medications to treat petit mal seizures are Zarontin, Depakote and Lamictal.

Sources: MEDLINEplus medical encyclopedia and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Other large grants:

The $17.3 million epilepsy study is one of several large, collaborative grants recently awarded to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Also awarded in the past year:

• A $13 million, five-year grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to establish a research center to study the genetic causes of heart valve disease. Children's is one of four centers nationally to get grants from the Specialized Centers of Clinically Oriented Research program to accelerate research and improve treatments for pediatric heart disease.

• $6.6 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Development for a five-year study of the role of human milk in infant health and nutrition.

• A $5.5 million, five-year grant to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center from the National Institutes of Health to establish the nation's first Rare Lung Disease Clinical Research Consortium. The University of Cincinnati Medical Center is a partner in this project.

• A $2.59 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases to establish a digestive disease research center involving 27 scientists from several disciplines.

Tim Bonfield