Dulac Olivier
Paediatric neurologist
Professor of Paediatrics, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
Private address: 30 rue Samson, 75013 Paris, France
Professional address: UMR1129, Hôpital Necker, 149 rue de Sèvres, Paris, France
Rothschild Foundation, Neurosurgery department, 25 rue Manin, 75019 Paris, France
Professor of Paediatrics since 1989
Founder of the Paediatric Neurology department, Necker-Enfants Malades hospital, Paris, France, 2003
Founder of the Reference Centre for Rare Epilepsies, Necker Enfants Malades hospital, 2006
Member of the mixed (Inserm/university/CEA) Research Unit 1129 (chaired by C.Chiron) on Epilepsy and brain plasticity, since 2005
Until November 2003, in charge of the child epilepsy program, department of Paediatric Neurology (Pr. Ponsot), Saint-Vincent-de-Paul hospital, Paris, France
Medical Doctor, Paris 1975
Member of several Commissions of the International League against Epilepsy
- Drugs from 1989 to 1997
- Paediatrics from 1987 (chair) on
- Genetics from 1997
- Therapeutic strategies from 1997
- The task force for the Classification of epileptic seizures and syndromes, from 1999 to 2004
Member of several scientific societies:
- Société française de Neurologie Pédiatrique (President 1998-2001)
- Société Européenne de Neurologie Infantile
- Ligue Française contre l'Epilepsie (French chapter of the ILAE)
- Société de Neurophysiologie de langue française
- Société Française des Erreurs innées du Métabolisme
Several contributions to the American Epilepsy Society 1989-2000;
Visiting Professor Cleveland 1995 and Calgary 2003
Member of the organizing Committee of the "Epilepsy" Europe Congress in Glasgow 1992 and the ILAE meeting in Sydney 1995; of meetings of the French chapter of the ILAE ; and of the French society of Pediatric Neurology ;
Member of the Editorial Boards of Archives de Pédiatrie, Epilepsia, Brain and Development, European Journal of Neurology, Seizures and Epileptic Disorders. In addition, papers were reviewed for various journals: Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, EEG Journal, Nouvelle Presse Médicale, Archives Françaises de Pédiatrie ;
Teaching activities from 1975, mainly in child neurology and child epileptology, Université René Descartes and several countries abroad.
Editor together with H Sarnat and M Lassonde of a 3 volume book of Paediatric Neurology in the series “Handbook of clinical neurology” (Elsevier, 2013).
Organizer of four international workshops sponsored by two Commissions of the International League against epilepsy (drugs and paediatrics) in the Royaumont convent, near Paris, (Antiepileptic drug trials, West syndrome, Myoclonic epilepsies and Neuropsychology and epilepsy in children) and took place between 1990 and 1996. Summaries were published in Epilepsia and Epilepsy Research and a book (Plenum press).
Former President of the Scientific Council of the “Foundation French for Research on Epilepsy ».
Research activities
- Nosology of epilepsy in childhood (contribution to the delineation of epilepsy syndromes, particularly Idiopathic West syndrome, Migrating partial seizures in infancy (MPSI) and the distinction between Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Myoclonic-astatic epilepsy, and Immune mediated epileptic encephalopathy – DESC then called FIRES) was done together with Dr P. Plouin. First epidemiologic study of epilepsy according to syndromes in children was done in an area located North from Paris.
- Methodology of antiepileptic drug trials in children (with Dr C. Chiron) contributing to identify the effect of vigabatrin in infantile spasms, lamotrigine in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Myoclonic-Astatic epilepsy, and stiripentol in Dravet syndrome.
- Relationship between brain maturation and epilepsy (with Dr C. Chiron) with Infantile spasms as a model and 133Xenon SPECT as a tool for investigation.
- Neuropsychologic patterns (with Pr I. Jambaqué) according to the various epilepsy syndromes.
- Epilepsy surgery was developed with Dr O. Delalande (Rothschild Foundation, Paris), including callosal, hamartomal and hemispheric disconnections (he called « hemispherotomy »), and focal resection following intracranial recordings.
- Molecular genetics of cryptogenic epilepsy syndromes (with R.Nabbout), permitting to identify PCDH19 as a gene for Dravet syndrome and KCNT1 as the major gene for MPSI.
Social contributions
Contribution à la naissance et au développement dévelopment de l’Association Francaise of Parents of Children with Epilepsy (ARPEIJE) who later merged with Epilepsie France that is affiliated to the International Bureau for Epilepsy.
MD for CICR (Comité international de la croix rouge) in Biafra – Nigeria – during the Civil war, 1968.
I contributes to make a movie on everyday life of children with sever handicap that was shown on the French TV (“Destins de familles”).
Additional clinical activities abroad:
Outpatient visit (for consultation and teaching) on regular bases, in various countries, including Algeria, Chile, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Ukraine.