This issue of Epilepsy Research News includes summaries of articles on:
- Combining Diet with Drugs to Reduce Seizures
- Parents Need Guidance Managing Sleep Issues in Children with Epilepsy
- New Understanding of the Cause of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE)
- Links Between Parental Factors, Emotional, and Behavioral Issues Found in Pediatric Epilepsy
- Use of Newer Antiseizure Medications for Epilepsy Differs by Race, Ethnicity
Combining Diet with Drugs to Reduce Seizures
Following a modified Atkins diet that is high in fat and low in carbohydrates in addition to taking antiseizure medication(s) may reduce seizures in people with tough-to-treat epilepsy, according to a recently published study. The study involved 160 adults and adolescents who had epilepsy for more than 10 years on average and had at least 27 seizures per month, despite trying an average of four antiseizure medications at the maximum tolerated dose. After six months, researchers found that 26% of people who used drug therapy and followed the modified Atkins diet had more than a 50% reduction in seizures, compared to only 3% of the people who had drug therapy alone. Four people in the diet group were seizure free by the end of the study, while no one in the medication-only group was seizure free. A limitation of the study is that seizures were self-reported or reported by caregivers, so some seizures may not have been reported. Despite this important consideration, “for people with drug-resistant epilepsy, or those who have been unable to find effective treatment to reduce seizures, it’s encouraging to see that there are lifestyle changes that can be combined with standard drug therapy to reduce the number of seizures,” stated a study author.
Parents Need Guidance Managing Sleep Issues in Children with Epilepsy
According to a new qualitative study that included interviews with nine mothers, sleep and epilepsy have a complex and bidirectional relationship. The aim of the study was to capture parental perceptions and experiences related to their child’s sleep habits and management, the impact of sleep difficulties on the child and their family, and available support. According to the study, epilepsy exacerbated the struggle to initiate sleep (settling and falling asleep), maintenance of sleep (experiencing night or early morning wakings), duration of sleep, daytime sleepiness, and sleep anxiety. Study authors noted that mothers were aware of the links between sleep and seizures yet felt that they lacked guidance about how to address or improve their child’s sleep, including from their healthcare teams. The authors also stated that the finding emphasizes the need to ensure adequate help is available to support healthy sleep in children with epilepsy.
New Understanding of the Cause of Post-Traumatic Epilepsy (PTE)
A research team has uncovered information about changes that occur in the brain following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that could help advance future preventative treatments for PTE, a type of epilepsy caused by a TBI. The findings show that activation of a subset of neurons within an area of the brain called the hippocampus plays a key role in the changes that occur during the development of PTE. For this study, the team looked at neurons called dentate granule cells, which continuously regenerate in areas of the brain that are crucial for learning and memory and are also commonly impacted by epilepsy. The team found that when the dentate granule cells were activated, the activity of other brain cells involved in epilepsy was inhibited. They also found that the cells that were formed just prior to a were much more likely to activate this circuit than those generated at other points in time. The team noted that being able to get to a point of understanding the changes that occur in the development of epilepsy may lead to the ability to prevent or reverse epilepsy.
Links Between Parental Factors, Emotional, and Behavioral Issues Found in Pediatric Epilepsy
Adolescents with epilepsy commonly experience emotional and behavioral problems, which vary depending on demographic, clinical, and parental factors, according to a new study. The parental factors included how parents perceived that others treated their child. The study included 289 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. The study found 18.3% of adolescents with epilepsy had at least one emotional or behavioral problem in the clinical range. Additionally, consistent with findings of prior studies, this study showed one in four parents of adolescents with epilepsy perceived that other people felt uncomfortable with their child, treated their child as inferior, or preferred to avoid their child because of their epilepsy. Due to these findings, the study’s authors emphasized it is crucial to identify and properly manage these problems early to decrease comorbid psychopathology in adolescents with epilepsy.
Use of Newer Antiseizure Medications for Epilepsy Differs by Race, Ethnicity
Racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to be taking newer-generation antiseizure medications for their epilepsy, an analysis of Medicaid data showed. Compared with white patients, Black, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander patients had lower odds of being on newer antiseizure medications, the study found. Of note, taking a second-generation antiseizure medication was associated with better treatment adherence, and those seeing a neurologist had higher odds of being on newer antiseizure medications. The study authors stated that being on a newer, second and third-generation antiseizure medication may represent an important marker of quality of care for people with epilepsy and that differences appear to reflect racial and ethnic inequities in epilepsy care.