We share a thank you message, highlight a CURE Epilepsy Champion, and share important dates in 2022 in this month's CURE Epilepsy Update.
Genetics
Genetic testing in people with epilepsy may support presurgical decision-making. It is currently unclear to what extent epilepsy centres use genetic testing in presurgical evaluation.
Persons with epilepsy (PWE) often report that seizure triggers can influence the occurrence and timing of seizures. Some previous studies of seizure triggers have relied on retrospective daily seizure diaries or surveys pertaining to all past seizures, recent and/or remote, in respondents. To assess the characteristics of seizure triggers at the granularity of individual seizures, we used a seizure-tracking app, called EpiWatch, on a smart watch system (Apple Watch and iPhone) in a national study of PWE.
A surgical treatment commonly used to reduce epileptic seizures in adults also is effective and safe for children, according to a Rutgers study.
Aggression is the most commonly encountered antiepileptic-drug (AED)-induced psychiatric adverse effects. Levetiracetam (LEV) is well known to be associated with increased rates of aggression, while perampanel (PER) is also recognized as a potentially aggression-promoting agent, though opinions vary. However, few studies have addressed questions regarding whether the nature of irritability-aggression differs between those drugs.
SUDEP
The first study of the Portuguese team entitled "Heart rate variability in patients with refractory epilepsy: The influence of generalized convulsive seizures" focused on GCS. These are characterized by stiffing of all the muscles in the body (tonic) and the rapid movement of arms and legs (clonic). The team studied cardiac changes in patients with refractory epilepsy, later comparing the results with the general population.
A research team led by Professor Gong Chen of Jinan University, also the scientific founder of NeuExcell Therapeutics Group, published an article in the latest issue of Progress in Neurobiology, using neuroregenerative gene therapy to treat temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in rats. Chen's team developed a new technology to convert hippocampal astrocytes directly into inhibitory interneurons and effectively reduced epileptic seizures, raising new hope for patients suffering from refractory TLE.
This study was undertaken to estimate the cost-effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) compared with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and care as usual (CAU) for adult patients with refractory epilepsy from a health care perspective using a lifetime decision analytic model.
Pediatric Epilepsy
For individuals with unexplained infantile or childhood-onset epilepsy, genetic testing to establish a genetic diagnosis may impact medical care and prognosis, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, held from Dec. 3 to 7 in Chicago.
