Epilepsia. Official Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy

The definition of minimal standards remains pivotal as a basis for a high standard of care and as a basis for staff allocation or reimbursement. Only limited publications are available regarding the required staffing or methodologic expertise in epilepsy centers. The executive board of the working group (WG) on presurgical epilepsy diagnosis and operative epilepsy treatment published the first guidelines in 2000 for Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. In 2014, revised guidelines were published and the WG decided ...

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Despite a positive prognosis for seizure remission, children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) have been reported to exhibit subtle neuropsychological difficulties. We examined the relationship between patterns of centrotemporal spikes (the typical electroencephalography [EEG] finding in BECTS) and neuropsychological and motor outcomes in children with new-onset BECTS. Thirty-four patients with new-onset BECTS (not taking antiepileptic medication) and 48 typically developing children participated in the study. In BECTS patients, centrotemporal spikes (CTS) were evaluated in the ...

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Individuals with poorly controlled epilepsy have a higher risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). With approximately one third of people with epilepsy not achieving adequate seizure control with current antiseizure drugs, there is a critical need to identify treatments that reduce risk factors for SUDEP. The Kcna1-null mutant mouse models risk factors and terminal events associated with SUDEP. In the current study, we demonstrate the progressive nature of epilepsy and sudden death in this model ...

Possible changes of cortical excitability after status epilepticus (SE) elicited in 12-day-old rats were studied by means of paired cortical afterdischarges (ADs). Consequences of lithium-pilocarpine status were studied in animals with implanted electrodes 3, 6, 9, 13, and 26 days after SE. Paired low-frequency stimulation with a 1-min interval was repeated after 10 min, and duration of ADs was measured. Control rats received saline instead of pilocarpine; other treatments were the same as in SE group. Postictal ...

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Vigabatrin is a highly effective antiseizure medication, but its use is limited due to concerns about retinal toxicity. One proposed mechanism for this toxicity is vigabatrin-mediated reduction of taurine. Herein we assess plasma taurine levels in a retrospective cohort of children with epilepsy, including a subset receiving vigabatrin. All children who underwent a plasma amino acid analysis as part of their clinical evaluation between 2006 and 2015 at Stanford Children’s Health were included in the analysis. There ...

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