Majority of epilepsy patients who had brain surgery to treat the seizure disorder find it improves their mood and their ability to work and drive, a new study reveals, Newsmax Health reports.

Meanwhile, a second study also indicates the procedure is safe and effective for patients over 60.

Affecting about 2.2 million Americans and 65 million people globally, epilepsy is a seizure disorder triggered by abnormal nerve cell signaling in the brain.

Researchers from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, conducting phone interviews with more than 250 epilepsy patients who had brain surgery there between 1993 and 2011, found that 92 percent considered the surgical treatment worthwhile. More than three-quarters of those undergoing surgery on their brain's temporal lobe, were later seizure-free or experienced only rare disabling seizures.

About half of the patients reported being able to drive at the time they were interviewed. Those with favorable surgical outcomes also were more likely to be working and less likely to be taking antidepressants.

The second study, by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, found that 90 percent of epilepsy patients aged 60 and older undergoing brain surgery experienced good outcomes, with 70 percent of them becoming seizure-free. The study authors said the data demonstrates that older age alone shouldn't necessarily block consideration of epilepsy surgery.