Epilepsia. Official Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy

Abstract

Objective

Ictal injuries have long been considered typical signs of epileptic seizures. However, studies have shown that patients with functional seizures (FS) – also named psychogenic non-epileptic seizures – can also present these signs, misleading physicians and delaying a correct diagnosis. This systematic review aimed to assess the prevalence of injuries from FS.

Methods

A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, LILACS, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, OpenGrey, and ProQuest. Observational studies were included. The risk of bias was assessed ...

Abstract

The study aimed to group acute symptomatic aetiologies of consecutive episodes of status epilepticus (SE) into different subcategories and explore their associations with clinical outcome. Aetiologies were firstly categorized as “acute”, “remote”, “progressive”, “SE in defined electroclinical syndromes”, and “unknown”. Four subcategories of acute aetiologies were then defined: i) withdrawal, or low levels, or inappropriate prescription of antiseizure medications, or sleep deprivation in patients with pre-existing epilepsy; ii) acute insults to central nervous system (CNS) (“acute-primary CNS”); iii) CNS pathology ...

Abstract

Objective

The management of patients after a first unprovoked seizure (FUS) can benefit from stratification of the average 50% risk for further seizures. We characterized subjects with FUS, out of a large generally healthy homogenous population of soldiers recruited by law to the Israeli Defense Forces, to investigate the role of the type of service, as a triggers burden surrogate, in the risk for additional seizures.

Methods

Soldiers recruited between 2005 and 2014, who experienced an FUS during their service, were identified from ...

Abstract

Objective

Combining population-based health registries and electronic health records offers the opportunity to create large, phenotypically detailed patient cohorts of high quality. In this study, we used text mining of clinical notes to confirm International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10)-registered epilepsy diagnoses and classify patients according to focal and generalized epilepsy types.

Methods

Using the Danish National Patient Registry, we identified patients who between 2006 and 2016 received an ICD-10 diagnosis of epilepsy. To validate the epilepsy diagnosis and stratify patients into ...

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine seizure control in women with epilepsy (WWE) undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). Through retrospective chart review, WWE undergoing ART were identified. Demographics and details regarding epilepsy type, seizure control, and ART procedures were extracted. Seizure frequency prior to and during ART were compared. We identified 12 WWE, who underwent 29 embryo transfers, resulting in 16 pregnancies and 10 live births. Nine women were seizure-free at least two years before fertility treatment, including ...

Abstract

Introduction

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), hippocampal sclerosis (HS), nonspecific gliosis (NG), and normal tissue (NT) comprise the majority of histopathological results of surgically treated drug-resistant epilepsy patients. Epileptic spikes, high-frequency oscillations (HFOs), and connectivity measures are valuable biomarkers of epileptogenicity. The question remains whether they could also be utilized for pre-resective differentiation of the underlying brain pathology. This study explored spikes and HFOs together with functional connectivity in various epileptogenic pathologies.

Methods

Interictal awake SEEG recordings of 33 patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy ...

Abstract

Objective

This study was undertaken to assess the safety and efficacy of fenfluramine in the treatment of convulsive seizures in patients with Dravet syndrome.

Methods

This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 3 clinical trial enrolled patients with Dravet syndrome, aged 2–18 years with poorly controlled convulsive seizures, provided they were not also receiving stiripentol. Eligible patients who had ≥6 convulsive seizures during the 6-week baseline period were randomized to placebo, fenfluramine .2 mg/kg/day, or fenfluramine .7 mg/kg/day (1:1:1 ratio) administered orally (maximum dose = 26 mg/day). Doses were ...

Abstract

This study was undertaken to systematically identify and critically appraise all published full economic evaluations assessing the cost-effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Study criteria was used to design search strategies for the identification and selection of relevant studies. Literature search was performed using the MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, International Health Technology Assessment, National Institute for Health Research Economic Evaluation Database, and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry databases to identify articles published between January 2000 ...

Abstract

Objective

Posttranscriptional mechanisms are increasingly recognized as important contributors to the formation of hyperexcitable networks in epilepsy. Messenger RNA (mRNA) polyadenylation is a key regulatory mechanism governing protein expression by enhancing mRNA stability and translation. Previous studies have shown large-scale changes in mRNA polyadenylation in the hippocampus of mice during epilepsy development. The cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein CPEB4 was found to drive epilepsy-induced poly(A) tail changes, and mice lacking CPEB4 develop a more severe seizure and epilepsy phenotype. The mechanisms controlling ...

Abstract

Objectives

Genetic variants in the SCN8A gene underlie a wide spectrum of neurodevelopmental phenotypes including several distinct seizure types and a host of comorbidities. One of the major challenges facing clinicians and researchers alike is to identify genotype-phenotype (G-P) correlations that may improve prognosis, guide treatment decisions, and lead to precision medicine approaches.

Methods

We investigated genotype-phenotype correlations among 270 participants harboring gain-of-function (GOF) variants enrolled in the International SCN8A Registry, a patient-driven online database. We performed correlation analyses stratifying the cohort by ...