These findings may reflect the involvement of the cerebellum in the underlying neurobiology of interictal psychosis and could contribute to a better understanding of this disorder.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have led an international team to take a close look at the mechanisms behind the function and dysfunction of these proteins, as well as their interactions with an antiepileptic drug, to develop a potential new strategy to treat epilepsy.
Managing epilepsy in the elderly remains complicated largely due to factors related to aging. In this population, management practices are increasingly shifting towards the use of newer-generation anti-seizure medications (ASMs) as they are generally associated with better tolerability and safety profiles than older ones.
A new peptide administered through a nasal spray shows promising results as an anticonvulsant and could ultimately be further developed as a treatment to prevent seizures in both epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to detect subtle brain abnormalities that cause epileptic seizures has been developed. The abnormalities, known as focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs), can often be treated with surgery but are difficult to visualize on an MRI. The new algorithm is expected to give physicians greater confidence in identifying FCDs in patients with epilepsy.
"Brain injury biomarkers will one day be the standard of care to evaluate and treat patients," said Dr. Fred Korley, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan and the first author of the study. "Objective biomarker data can be profoundly helpful in determining prognosis for a patient, helping to gauge how severe a brain injury is, and can ultimately inform how best to counsel family members about care for their loved ones with brain injury."
Deep brain stimulation treatment is associated with reduced epilepsy severity and disability in young adults with LGS. Performing cognitive and behavioral outcome measurement in patients with cognitive impairment is challenging but possible and requires careful selection of instruments and modifications of score interpretation to avoid floor effects.
The older adults’ cohort had significantly higher levels of co-morbid physical health conditions, mental health conditions, anti-seizure medications (median 5), and antipsychotics compared to the younger cohort. The older group were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with a co-morbid neurodevelopmental disorder, and to have an epilepsy care plan.
Dual conditions of felt stigma and depressive symptoms may be more strongly associated with social anxiety, being unmarried, and being unemployed than depressive symptoms or felt stigma alone in patients with epilepsy.
