Epilepsia. Official Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy

Summary

Objective

The development of epilepsy has been linked to infections of the central nervous system, but recently also to infections and inflammation outside of the central nervous system. Thus we investigated the association between infections and the risk of subsequent epilepsy.

Methods

This was a Danish nationwide population‐based cohort study comprising a total of 1 938 555 individuals born between 1982 and 2012. Individuals were followed from birth until December 31, 2012, death, disappearance, emigration, or epilepsy diagnosis, whichever came first (28 512 ...

Summary

Objective

To investigate the health care utilization cost of patients presenting with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) to a tertiary hospital in Australia.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of adult patients with PNES based on video‐electroencephalographic confirmation over a 5‐year period. We used an itemized list to collect detailed health care utilization data. The items included emergency room visits, hospital ward admissions, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, outpatient neurology clinic visits, medical interventions, Code Blue and Medical Emergency Team calls for seizures, medications, ...

Summary

Objective

To investigate the characteristics of motor manifestation during convulsive epileptic and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), captured using a wrist‐worn accelerometer (ACM) device. The main goal was to find quantitative ACM features that can differentiate between convulsive epileptic and convulsive PNES.

Methods

In this study, motor data were recorded using wrist‐worn ACM‐based devices. A total of 83 clinical events were recorded: 39 generalized tonic–clonic seizures (GTCS) from 12 patients with epilepsy, and 44 convulsive PNES from 7 patients (one patient had both GTCS ...

Summary

Objective

The clinical course and underlying molecular causes in patients with glioblastoma presenting with seizures are poorly understood. Here we investigated clinical features and carrier systems as well as a transaminase relevant in glutamate homeostasis in patients with glioblastoma.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of our clinical glioma database for clinical data during a 2‐year period. Patients with glioblastoma were divided into 2 groups: symptomatic and asymptomatic for seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and tissue samples from both groups were investigated. ...

Summary

Objective

We aimed to characterize epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures (EIMFS), a rare, severe early onset developmental epilepsy related to KCNT1 mutation, and to define specific electroencephalography (EEG) markers using EEG quantitative analysis. The ultimate goal would be to improve early diagnosis and to better understand seizure onset and propagation of EIMFS as compared to other early onset developmental epilepsy.

Methods

EEG of 7 EIMFS patients with KCNT1 mutations (115 seizures) and 17 patients with other early onset epilepsies (30 seizures) ...

Summary

Objective

Epilepsy is highly prevalent among patients with intellectual disability (ID), and seizure control is often difficult. Identification of the underlying etiology in this patient group is important for daily clinical care. We assessed the diagnostic yield of whole exome sequencing (WES). In addition, we evaluated which clinical characteristics influence the likelihood of identifying a genetic cause and we assessed the potential impact of the genetic diagnosis on (antiepileptic) treatment strategy.

Methods

One hundred patients with both unexplained epilepsy and (borderline) ID (intelligence ...

Summary

Objective

To assess the benefits and harms of cannabis‐based products for pediatric epilepsy.

Methods

We identified in this living systematic review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized studies (NRSs) involving children with epilepsy treated with cannabis‐based products. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and gray literature (April 25, 2018). The primary outcome was seizure freedom; secondary outcomes were seizure frequency (total, ≥50% reduction), quality of life, sleep, status epilepticus, death, gastrointestinal adverse events, and visits to the emergency room. Data were pooled ...

Summary

Objective

After discovering the association between the HLA‐B*15:02 allele and carbamazepine‐related severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), particularly in Southeastern Asian populations, clinical strategies to prevent carbamazepine‐related SCARs have changed. We aimed to investigate 10‐year trends in carbamazepine use and carbamazepine‐related SCARs and to examine the patterns and determinants of HLA‐B*15:02 screening in Taiwan.

Methods

A nationwide study was performed using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. In the first part of the study, new users of carbamazepine were included, and those who experienced ...

Summary

Objective

To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying KCNQ2 encephalopathy by examining the electrophysiologic properties of mutant Kv7.2 channels in different multimeric configurations.

Methods

We analyzed the genotype‐phenotype relationship in 4 patients with KCNQ2 encephalopathy and performed electrophysiologic analysis of M‐currents mediated by homomeric Kv7.2 or heteromeric Kv7.2/Kv7.3 channels.

Results

Negligible or no current was recorded in cells expressing homomeric E130K, W270R, or G281R de novo mutants, and it was reduced by more than 90% for the L243F maternally inherited mutant. The E130K and G281R ...