Epilepsia. Official Journal of the International League Against Epilepsy

Abstract

Objective

Lamotrigine and other sodium-channel blocking agents are among the most commonly used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Because other sodium channel blockers, such as riluzole, can severely alter respiratory rhythm generation during hypoxia, we wanted to investigate if AEDs can have similar effects. This is especially important in the context of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), the major cause of death in patients suffering from therapy-resistant epilepsy. Although the mechanism of action is not entirely understood, respiratory dysfunction after generalized tonic-clonic ...

Summary

Objective

To investigate long-term seizure outcomes in patients with hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) following stereotactic radiofrequency thermocoagulation (SRT).

Methods

A total of 131 patients with HH who underwent SRT and were followed for at least three years after the last SRT were enrolled. Seizure outcomes were evaluated for gelastic seizures (GS) and other types of seizures (nGS) separately using the International League Against Epilepsy classification. Classes 1 and 2 were considered seizure-free. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were used to estimate the proportion remaining seizure-free after ...

Abstract

Objective

To determine whether brain connectivity differs between focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) types I and II.

Methods

We compared cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) as measures of effective brain connectivity in 25 FCD patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who underwent intracranial evaluation with stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG). We analyzed the amplitude and latency of CCEP responses following ictal-onset single-pulse electrical stimulation (iSPES).

Results

In comparison to FCD type II, patients with type I demonstrated significantly larger responses in the electrodes near the ictal-onset zone (<50 mm). These findings persisted ...

Abstract

Objective

This study was undertaken to investigate the trends and mechanisms of epilepsy-related deaths in Scotland, highlighting the proportion that were potentially avoidable.

Methods

This was a retrospective observational data-linkage study of administrative data from 2009–2016. We linked nationwide data encompassing mortality records, hospital admissions, outpatient attendance, antiepileptic drug (AED) prescriptions, and regional primary care attendances. Adults (aged ≥16 years) suffering epilepsy-related death were identified for study using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision coding combined with AED prescriptions. We reported epilepsy-related mortality rate ...

Abstract

Objective

Verbal memory dysfunction is common in focal, drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Unfortunately, surgical removal of seizure-generating brain tissue can be associated with further memory decline. Therefore, localization of both the circuits generating seizures and those underlying cognitive functions is critical in presurgical evaluations for patients who may be candidates for resective surgery. We used intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) recordings during a verbal memory task to investigate word encoding in focal epilepsy. We hypothesized that engagement in a memory task would exaggerate local ...

Abstract

Objective

The astroglial enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) is deficient in small loci in the brain in adult patients with different types of focal epilepsy; however, the role of this deficiency in the pathogenesis of epilepsy has been difficult to assess due to a lack of sufficiently sensitive and specific animal models. The aim of this study was to develop an in vivo approach for precise and specific deletions of the GS gene in the postnatal brain.

Methods

We stereotaxically injected various adeno-associated virus ...

Abstract

Objective

Effective treatment for the prevention of posttraumatic epilepsy is still not available. Here, we sought to determine whether blocking receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) or toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathways would prevent posttraumatic epileptogenesis.

Methods

In a mouse undercut model of posttraumatic epilepsy, daily injections of saline, RAGE monoclonal antibody (mAb), or TAK242, a TLR4 inhibitor, were made for 1 week. Their effects on seizure susceptibility and spontaneous epileptic seizures were evaluated with a pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) test in 2 weeks and ...