Epilepsia. Official Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy

Abstract

This study evaluated food preferences and eating behaviors of individuals with Dravet syndrome. Patients diagnosed with Dravet syndrome were recruited, as well as a control group composed of siblings of patients with epilepsy (any form). The Food Preference Questionnaire and the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire were completed by caregivers along with two open-ended questions regarding eating challenges. Seventy-eight participants (45 with Dravet syndrome and 33 controls) were included. Compared to controls, mean scores for food preference were lower for fruits ...

Abstract

Objective

Blood–brain barrier dysfunction (BBBD) has been linked to various neurological disorders, including epilepsy. This study aims to utilize dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to identify and compare brain regions with BBBD in patients with epilepsy (PWE) and healthy individuals.

Methods

We scanned 50 drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) patients and 58 control participants from four global specialized epilepsy centers using DCE-MRI. The presence and extent of BBBD were analyzed and compared between PWE and healthy controls.

Results

Both greater brain volume and higher number of ...

Abstract

Objective

This study was undertaken to develop a machine learning (ML) model to forecast initial seizure onset in neonatal hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) utilizing clinical and quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) features.

Methods

We developed a gradient boosting ML model (Neo-GB) that utilizes clinical features and QEEG to forecast time-dependent seizure risk. Clinical variables included cord blood gas values, Apgar scores, gestational age at birth, postmenstrual age (PMA), postnatal age, and birth weight. QEEG features included statistical moments, spectral power, and recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) features. ...

Abstract

Objective

To investigate phenotypes of comorbidity before and after an epilepsy diagnosis in a national cohort of post-9/11 Service Members and Veterans and explore phenotypic associations with mortality.

Methods

Among a longitudinal cohort of Service Members and Veterans receiving care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) from 2002 to 2018, annual diagnoses for 26 conditions associated with epilepsy were collected over 5 years, ranging from 2 years prior to 2 years after the year of first epilepsy diagnosis. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify ...

Abstract

Cholesterol is a critical molecule in the central nervous system, and imbalances in the synthesis and metabolism of brain cholesterol can result in a range of pathologies, including those related to hyperexcitability. The impact of cholesterol on disorders of epilepsy and developmental and epileptic encephalopathies is an area of growing interest. Cholesterol cannot cross the blood–brain barrier, and thus the brain synthesizes and metabolizes its own pool of cholesterol. The primary metabolic enzyme for brain cholesterol is cholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CH24H), ...

Abstract

Objective

Application of cluster analytic procedures has advanced understanding of the cognitive heterogeneity inherent in diverse epilepsy syndromes and the associated clinical and neuroimaging features. Application of this unsupervised machine learning approach to the neuropsychological performance of persons with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) has yet to be attempted, which is the intent of this investigation.

Methods

A total of 77 JME participants, 19 unaffected siblings, and 44 unrelated controls, 12 to 25 years of age, were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery (intelligence, language, memory, ...

Abstract

Objective

Epilepsy and intellectual disability are common in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Although early life seizures and intellectual disability are known to be correlated in TSC, the differential effects of age at seizure onset and accumulated seizure burden on development remain unclear.

Methods

Daily seizure diaries, serial neurodevelopmental testing, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were analyzed for 129 TSC patients followed from 0 to 36 months. We used machine learning to identify subgroups of patients based on neurodevelopmental test scores at 36 months of age ...

Abstract

Objective

For the pre-surgical evaluation of patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy, stereo-electroencephalographic (SEEG) signals are routinely recorded to identify the epileptogenic zone network (EZN). This network consists of remote brain regions involved in seizure initiation. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying typical SEEG patterns that occur during the transition from interictal to ictal activity in distant brain nodes of the EZN remain poorly understood. The primary aim is to identify and explain these mechanisms using a novel physiologically-plausible model of the EZN.

Methods

We ...

Abstract

Objective

High-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a standard in the diagnosis of epilepsy. However, high costs and technical barriers have limited adoption in low- and middle-income countries. Even in high-income nations, many individuals with epilepsy face delays in undergoing MRI. Recent advancements in ultra-low-field (ULF) MRI technology, particularly the development of portable scanners, offer a promising solution to the limited accessibility of MRI. In this study, we present and evaluate the imaging capability of ULF MRI in detecting structural abnormalities ...

Abstract

Objective

EEG patterns and quantitative EEG (qEEG) features have been poorly explored in monogenic epilepsies. Herein, we investigate regional differences in EEG frequency composition in patients with STXBP1 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (STXBP1-DEE).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study collecting electroclinical data of patients with STXBP1-DEE and two control groups of patients with DEEs of different etiologies and typically developing individuals matched for age and sex. We performed a (1) visual EEG assessment, (b) qEEG analysis, and (c) electrical source imaging (ESI). We ...