Epilepsia. Official Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy

Abstract

Objective

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a novel minimally invasive alternative to open mesial temporal resection in drug‐resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). The safety and efficacy of the procedure are dependent on the preplanned trajectory and the extent of the planned ablation achieved. Ablation of the mesial hippocampal head has been suggested to be an independent predictor of seizure freedom, whereas sparing of collateral structures is thought to result in improved neuropsychological outcomes. We aim to validate an automated ...

Abstract

Objective

Patients with generalized epilepsy exhibit different epileptiform events including asymptomatic interictal spikes (IS), absence seizures with spike‐wave discharges (SWDs), and myoclonic seizures (MS). Our objective was to determine the spatiotemporal patterns of cortical activation in SWDs, IS, and MS in the Gabra1^+/A322D juvenile myoclonic epilepsy mouse.

Methods

We fabricated affordable, flexible high‐density electroencephalography (HdEEG) arrays and recorded spontaneous SWD, IS, and MS with video/HdEEG. We determined differences among the events in amplitude spectral density (ASD) in the δ/θ/α/β/γ frequency bands at baseline ...

Abstract

Objective

To develop a causal model for the occurrence of neurocysticercosis (NC)‐related seizures and test hypotheses generated from the model.

Methods

We used data from a randomized controlled trial comparing albendazole with placebo among patients newly diagnosed with NC. Based on our causal model, we explored the associations among albendazole treatment, NC cyst evolution, and seizure outcomes over 24 months of follow‐up using generalized linear mixed effect models.

Results

We included 153 participants, of whom 51% received albendazole. The association between seizure outcomes and treatment over ...

Abstract

Objective

Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is the most common childhood idiopathic localization‐related epilepsy syndrome. BECTS presents normal routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); however, quantitative analytic techniques have captured subtle cortical and subcortical magnetic resonance anomalies. Network science, including graph theory (GT) analyses, facilitates understanding of brain covariance patterns, potentially informing in important ways how this common self‐limiting epilepsy syndrome may impact normal patterns of brain and cognitive development.

Methods

GT analyses examined the developmental covariance among cortical and subcortical regions in ...

Abstract

Objective

Cognitive deficits are commonly observed in people with epilepsy, but the biologic causation of these is challenging to identify. Animal models of epilepsy can be used to explore pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to cognitive problems, as well as to test novel therapeutics. We utilized a well‐validated animal model of epilepsy to explore cognitive deficits using novel translational assessment tools/automated rodent touchscreen assays.

Methods

To induce epilepsy, adult Wistar rats were subjected to kainic acid–induced status epilepticus or sham control (n = 12/group). Two months following ...

Abstract

Objective

To characterize a cohort of patients with SCN8A‐related epilepsy and to perform analyses to identify correlations involving the acquisition of neurodevelopmental skills.

Methods

We analyzed patient data (n = 91) submitted to an online registry tailored to characteristics of children with SCN8A variants. Participants provided information on the history of their child’s seizures, medications, comorbidities, and developmental skills based on the Denver II items. Spearman rank tests were utilized to test for correlations among a variety of aspects of seizures, medications, and neurodevelopmental progression.

Results

The ...

Abstract

Objective

New insights into high‐frequency electroencephalographic activity and network analysis provide potential tools to improve delineation of epileptic tissue and increase the chance of postoperative seizure freedom. Based on our observation of high‐frequency oscillations “spreading outward” from the epileptic source, we hypothesize that measures of directed connectivity in the high‐frequency range distinguish epileptic from healthy brain tissue.

Methods

We retrospectively selected refractory epilepsy patients with a malformation of cortical development or tumor World Health Organization grade I/II who underwent epilepsy surgery with intraoperative ...

Abstract

Objective

Various forms of vascular imaging are performed to identify vessels that should be avoided during stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) planning. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is the gold standard for intracranial vascular imaging. DSA is an invasive investigation, and a balance is necessary to identify all clinically relevant vessels and not to visualize irrelevant vessels that may unnecessarily restrict electrode placement. We sought to estimate the size of vessels that are clinically significant for SEEG planning.

Methods

Thirty‐three consecutive patients who underwent 354 SEEG electrode ...