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Placebo responses in randomized trials of antiepileptic drugs.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This meta-analysis of published, randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of antiepileptic drugs in adults with focal drug-resistant epilepsy was performed to estimate a mean placebo effect, to evaluate variability in placebo response rates, to investigate associations between placebo effect rates and study characteristics, and to determine whether there were changes in placebo response rates over recent years in RCTs (so-called "placebo drift"). One hundred ninety-eight potentially appropriate studies were identified after MEDLINE search and carefully reviewed. Twenty-seven RCTs (with 5662 randomized patients, including 1...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Guekht AB, Korczyn AD, Bondareva IB, Gusev EI Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

The epileptic seizure and the mystery of death in Christian painting.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article, originating from a case report, shows how some Christian painting alludes to renaissance after a seizure and to the parallelism between the patient with epilepsy and the destiny of Christ. Special attention is paid to Raphael's, in this respect particularly complex work, The Transfiguration. PMID: 19914875 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Mann MW Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance and impulsivity in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: Suicidal risk and suicide attempts.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Executive performance has a major impact on suicide risk and suicide attempts in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. PMID: 19914140 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Espinosa AG, Machado RA, González SB, González ME, Montoto AP, Sotomayor GT Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Fixation-off sensitivity with atypical presentation: Clinical and video/EEG documentation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A 9-year 2-month-old Saudi boy of normal intelligence was brought to a pediatric neurology clinic because of episodes of abnormal behavior associated with disorientation and confusion and postictal amnesia. Video/EEG evaluation unexpectedly documented the presence of fixation-off sensitivity. PMID: 19913461 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 11, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Saadeldin IY Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Are psychiatric disorders independent risk factors for new-onset epilepsy in older individuals?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We examined data from a sample of older veterans (>65years) receiving care from the Veterans Health Administration during fiscal year 2000. We compared individuals with new-onset epilepsy and individuals without epilepsy to examine the extent to which psychiatric disorders were associated with new-onset epilepsy; this analysis controlled for demographic and premorbid neurological risk factors previously associated with new-onset epilepsy. Premorbid psychiatric conditions occurred at higher rates in the epilepsy versus nonepilepsy groups, foremost including depression (17% vs 12%), anxiety (12% vs 8%), psychosis (12% vs ...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 11, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Ettinger AB, Copeland LA, Zeber JE, Cott AC, Pugh MJ Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Knowledge of, perception of, and attitudes toward epilepsy of schoolchildren in Ankara and the effect of an educational program.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Epilepsy is one of the most common serious chronic brain disorders of childhood and carries a strong social stigma. It has been generally accepted that educational programs can be beneficial in reducing the stigma of a number of chronic diseases such as epilepsy. In this article, we describe the first Turkish survey of primary school students' knowledge of and attitudes toward epilepsy and the effect of an epilepsy education program on the understanding of epilepsy in schoolchildren attending three different upper-middle schools in the city of Ankara. The epilepsy education program was found to be associated with a sig...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 11, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bozkaya IO, Arhan E, Serdaroglu A, Soysal AS, Ozkan S, Gucuyener K Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

The operational model of a network for managing patients with convulsive epilepsy in rural West China.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CONCLUSION: This pragmatic procedure suggests that the network could be suitable for managing convulsive epilepsy in resource-poor regions. Such a network could depend on existing primary health services to ensure its sustainability. PMID: 19910259 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Liu L, Zhang Q, Yao Z, Wang X, Zhu C, Gao Y, He J, Wang Z, Zhang N, D'Souza W, Zhou D Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Effect of general anesthesia in patients with epilepsy: A population-based study.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
General anesthesia may be required for particular diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in patients with seizure disorders. There is concern regarding the safety of anesthetic drugs in these individuals because of the reported proconvulsant effect of selected medications. Potentially, general anesthesia may be associated with perioperative seizures or increased adverse effects in people with epilepsy. The rationale for the present study was to evaluate the outcome of general anesthesia in a population-based cohort with seizure disorders undergoing interventions that were unlikely to alter the seizure tendency, for exam...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Benish SM, Cascino GD, Warner ME, Worrell GA, Wass CT Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Patient beliefs about epilepsy and brain surgery in a multicultural urban population.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We assessed beliefs about epilepsy and brain surgery and the use of alternative epilepsy treatments in a culturally diverse population of people with epilepsy (PWE). Data were obtained from a structured questionnaire administered to 109 PWE treated at a single epilepsy center. Patients were born in 17 countries on five continents. Most patients identified culturally with the Caribbean (41%), United States (39%), or Latin America (9%). Sixty-nine percent of patients endorsed at least one of five stigma-related questions, and 77% used at least one alternative epilepsy treatment. Brain surgery was rated as having a mean d...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Prus N, Grant AC Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Knowledge of epilepsy in the general population based on two French cities: Implications for stigma.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study yielded encouraging results. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings and gain a better understanding of the contribution of French public knowledge to the causative factors generating stigma in France. PMID: 19910262 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Rafael F, Dubreuil CM, Burbaud F, Tran DS, Clement JP, Preux PM, Nubukpo P Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Vomiting due to intravenous levetiracetam in a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19906565 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Belcastro V, Mattucci E, Rossi A, Calabresi P, Tambasco N Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Update on autism: A review of 1300 reports published in 2008.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This publication, by reviewing 1300 studies published on autism in 2008, represents an update on this topic. Results include possible parental influences, maternal conditions, and studies on genes and chromosomes. Possible etiological factors involve the "extreme male brain," defects in the mirror neuron system, vaccines, underconnectivity, disorders of central coherence, and many other more specific etiologies. Assessments or tests for autism are also reviewed. Characteristics of autistic individuals include repetitive behavior, language disorders, sleep disturbances, social problems, joint attention disorders, seizur...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 5, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Hughes JR Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

A prospective study of cognitive fluency and originality in children exposed in utero to carbamazepine, lamotrigine, or valproate monotherapy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CONCLUSION: Children prenatally exposed to valproate demonstrate impaired fluency and originality compared with children exposed to lamotrigine and carbamazepine. PMID: 19892603 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - November 3, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: McVearry KM, Gaillard WD, Vanmeter J, Meador KJ Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Status epilepticus with visual seizures in ketotic hyperglycemia.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We describe the case of a 48-year-old man who presented with complex partial status epilepticus with visual seizures in the context of ketotic hyperglycemia. The EEG revealed a temporal epileptogenic focus and alterations were apparent on MRI in the acute phase and 4months later. Very few cases of seizures in ketotic patients have been reported because ketone bodies have a protective effect against epilepsy. Seizures in hyperglycemia tend to be partial, and the only reports of visual seizures were due to occipital foci. Neuroradiological alterations have been reported in epileptic seizures, although usually in generalized ...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 31, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Martínez-Fernández R, Gelabert A, Pablo MJ, Carmona O, Molins A Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Margiad Evans (1909-1958): A history of epilepsy in a creative writer.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The author Margiad Evans (1909-1958), a celebrated Anglo-Welsh writer of the 1930s and 1940s, developed epilepsy in 1950, and subsequently wrote accounts of her experiences of seizures, their diagnosis, and their management. These documents are among the first patient accounts of epilepsy, and remain of value today, not least because they prefigure ongoing problems in epilepsy management such as pregnancy and the adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs. They also give some insights into the consequences of epilepsy for a creative writer. PMID: 19884046 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 31, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Larner AJ Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Children with Epilepsy (CHEQOL-25): Preliminary data for the Serbian version.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The objectives of this study were to translate into Serbian the Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Children with Epilepsy (CHEQOL-25) and to provide preliminary data on its measurement properties. Translation, cultural adaptation, and pretesting were performed first, followed by evaluation of several reliability aspects of this version administered to 50 children with epilepsy and their parents. The mean scores of the CHEQOL-25 subscales ranged from 12.2 to 14.4 for children and from 12.4 to 15 for parents (possible range: 5-20). The internal consistency coefficients of the subscales ranged from 0.11 to 0.87. Betwe...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Stevanovic D, Tepavcevic DK, Jocic-Jakubi B, Jovanovic M, Pekmezovic T, Lakic A, Ronen GM Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Preoperative depressive symptoms predict postoperative seizure outcome in temporal and frontal lobe epilepsy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CONCLUSION: The present results provide evidence for a statistical bidirectionality of the relationship between depressive symptoms and postoperative seizure status in a mixed sample of patients with TLE and FLE. Possible reasons for this bidirectional association include an underlying common pathology in both depression and epilepsy, for example, structural changes or functional alterations in neurotransmitter systems. PMID: 19879810 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 29, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Metternich B, Wagner K, Brandt A, Kraemer R, Buschmann F, Zentner J, Schulze-Bonhage A Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Psychosocial impairments in children with epilepsy depend on the side of the focus.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article explores the idea that epileptic activity may interfere with psychosocial functions and development in children. In an adult population with epilepsy, left hemispheric seizure focus predicts worse psychosocial functioning. The developmental aspects of these disturbances require further studies. We studied self-report measures of cognitive (locus of control) and emotional (Beck Youth Inventories of Emotional and Social Impairment) functions in 30 children with partial epilepsy (6-15years) and 60 healthy matched controls. Multivariate statistics revealed significant lateralization effects, with left-sided foci (...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 29, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Mathiak KA, Mathiak K, Wolańczyk T, Ostaszewski P Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

No, we should not treat the EEG because most EEGs read as epileptiform are really normal.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19879196 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 28, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Benbadis SR Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Cognitive deficits in children with benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood or rolandic discharges: A study of children between 4 and 7 years of age with and without seizures compared with healthy controls.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recent developments in research on cognitive abilities in benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes have led to interest in the following domains: language, memory, executive, motor, and visual-constructive functions. As previous studies have investigated the cognitive development of mainly school-aged children, this study focuses on preschool and elementary school children. Twenty-five children affected by benign rolandic epilepsy/rolandic discharges and 25 healthy children matched for age and sex were enrolled in this retrospective study. The mean IQ scores were 94.76 for children with epilepsy...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 28, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Danielsson J, Petermann F Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Enhancing antiepileptic drug adherence: A randomized controlled trial.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Suboptimal adherence to antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment is commonplace, and increases the risk of status epilepticus and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy. This randomized controlled trial was designed to demonstrate whether an implementation intention intervention involving the completion of a simple self-administered questionnaire linking the intention of taking medication with a particular time, place, and other activity can improve AED treatment schedule adherence. Of the 81 patients with epilepsy who were randomized, 69 completed a 1-month monitoring period with an objective measure of tablet taking (electro...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 26, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Brown I, Sheeran P, Reuber M Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Correlation between memory, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and interictal epileptiform discharges in temporal lobe epilepsy related to mesial temporal sclerosis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that IEDs and NAA/(Cho+Cr) ratios reflecting neural metabolism are closely related to verbal memory function in mesial temporal sclerosis. Higher interictal activity on the EEG was associated with a decline in total NAA in contralateral mesial temporal structures. PMID: 19854108 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Mantoan MA, Caboclo LO, de Figueiredo Ferreira Guilhoto LM, Lin K, da Silva Noffs MH, de Souza Silva Tudesco I, Belzunces E, Carrete H, Bussoletti RT, Centeno RS, Sakamoto AC, Yacubian EM Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Factors that affect interictal cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in temporal lobe epilepsy: Role of hippocampal sclerosis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study shows that in addition to factors related to the chronic nature of epilepsy and antiepileptic drug use, hippocampal sclerosis may cause autonomic dysfunction during the interictal period in persons with temporal lobe epilepsy. PMID: 19854109 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Koseoglu E, Kucuk S, Arman F, Ersoy AO Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Commentary on Bonnier P. L'aschématie. Rev Neurol (Paris) 1905;13:605-9.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Commentary on Bonnier P. L'aschématie. Rev Neurol (Paris) 1905;13:605-9. Epilepsy Behav. 2009 Oct 22; Authors: Vallar G, Rode G PMID: 19854110 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Vallar G, Rode G Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

The impact of social support on health related quality of life in persons with epilepsy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Previous studies have found that psychosocial factors have the greatest impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Social support can buffer the negative impact of stressful events and chronic health conditions. To date, no population studies have examined the association between social support and epilepsy. In the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), four questions were used to assess social support. A set of survey weight-adjusted logistic regression analyses were conducted with self-rated health status as the outcome. In those regression models, we examined the effect of epilepsy status, social sup...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Charyton C, Elliott JO, Lu B, Moore JL Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

From Galapagos to the labs: Darwinian medicine and epilepsy today.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In 1991, a mummy frozen in ice was found by climbers in the Tyrolean Alps. Otzi the Iceman has since been studied in the light of evolutionary explanations for diseases. This year, which marks Charles Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his publication On the Origin of Species, should re-ignite discussion of the importance of the correlation between nutritional diet and diseases. Epilepsy is one of the commonest diseases in the world. Individuals with epilepsy are at higher risk of death than the general population, and sudden unexpected death (SUDEP) is the most important direct epilepsy-related cause...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 21, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Scorza FA, Cysneiros RM, Terra VC, Arida RM, Scorza CA, Cavalheiro EA Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Should patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures be allowed to drive? Recommendations of German experts.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the absence of evidence-based regulations on the driving ability of patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), we asked 41 German epileptologists via e-mail for their recommendations on driving with PNES. This survey was modeled on an earlier study by Benbadis et al. [11] in the United States and was compared with it. Thirty-four (82.9%) epileptologists responded. Three responses were possible: (A) same restrictions as stipulated for patients with epilepsy, answered by 11 epileptologists (32.4%); (B) no restrictions at all, which no German expert gave as an answer (0%); (C) decision on an individual bas...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 21, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Specht U, Thorbecke R Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Ictal flatulence: Seizure onset in the nondominant hemisphere.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We describe the case of a 45-year-old woman with frequent simple partial seizures consisting mainly of autonomic manifestations including flatulence. The ictal onset and interictal EEG epileptiform abnormalities were localized to the right frontotemporal region. This localization was supported by structural brain imaging showing recurrence of a right frontotemporal oligodendroglioma with involvement of the insula. We therefore suggest that ictal flatulence is one of several autonomic and gastrointestinal symptoms and signs that may be used clinically in lateralizing to the nondominant hemisphere. PMID: 19846345 [PubMed...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 18, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Vittal NB, Singh P, Azar NJ Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Verbal and spatial learning after temporal lobe excisions in children: An adaptation of the Grober and Buschke procedure.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Using an adaptation of Grober and Buschke's procedure, we assessed verbal and visuospatial learning abilities in 16 children after left or right anteromesial temporal resection and 16 healthy controls to evaluate material-specific memory deficits. All children had relatively well-preserved verbal and spatial learning capacities after unilateral temporal resection. Children who had left temporal resection showed impaired verbal memory performance despite semantic control by cued recall. No memory deficits with visual material were detected in children who underwent right anteromesial temporal resection. Grober and Busch...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Leunen D, Caroff X, Chmura S, Fohlen M, Delalande O, Jambaqué I Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Postoperative speech processing in temporal lobe epilepsy: Functional relationship between object naming, semantics and phonology.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study addresses the functional relationship between postoperative object naming and semantic and phonological speech processing in patients with epilepsy. Fifty-eight consecutive patients with temporal lobe epilepsy from our epilepsy surgery program (24 patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy, 34 patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy) were investigated using the Boston Naming Test and comprehensive semantic and phonological speech testing. Language dominance was evaluated in all patients with the preoperative intracarotid sodium amytal test. Naming decline was observed exclusively in patients with left temporal...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Schwarz M, Pauli E Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Ecstatic epileptic seizures: A potential window on the neural basis for human self-awareness.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The anatomical correlate of epileptic seizures with ecstatic auras has not been established. We document precise descriptions of the ecstatic seizures experienced by five patients, all of whom reported intense feelings of well-being and a heightened self-awareness. We propose here that the descriptions by these patients, together with the neurophysiological and neuroradiological evidence, support a theoretical framework for understanding ecstatic states based on hyperactivation of the anterior insula, rather than the temporal lobe. Epileptologists who have access to patients who experience episodic feelings of ecstasy ...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Picard F, Craig AD Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Physical exercise in epilepsy: What kind of stressor is it?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Stress has been considered the most frequently self-reported precipitant of seizures in people with epilepsy. The literature documents that physical stress, that is, physical exercise, can have beneficial effects in people with epilepsy. In view of evidence indicating that sensitivity to stress is reduced after a physical exercise program, physical activity could be a potential candidate for stress reduction in people with epilepsy. This review considers how physical exercise could contribute to reduce seizure susceptibility and, hence, seizure frequency. Possible mechanisms by which exercise can be beneficial for peop...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Arida RM, Scorza FA, Terra VC, Scorza CA, de Almeida AC, Cavalheiro EA Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Effect of repeated administration of Annona diversifolia Saff. (ilama) extracts and palmitone on rat amygdala kindling.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Annonas are consumed as fresh fruits, but, because of their effects on the central nervous system, are also used in folk medicine. The effect on rat amygdala kindling of repeated administration of Annona diversifolia hexane (100mg/kg IP or PO) and ethanol (100mg/kg, PO) leaf extracts and palmitone (10mg/kg, IP) was determined. Electrographic and/or behavioral changes were monitored during kindling-induced seizures 60minutes after treatments. Antiepileptic efficacy was evaluated with respect to afterdischarge (AD) duration, spike frequency, and/or behavioral seizure activity. Oral administration of both extracts signifi...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: González-Trujano ME, López-Meraz L, Reyes-Ramírez A, Aguillón M, Martínez A Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Interview accuracy in partial epilepsy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The statistical concept of accuracy has never been applied to verify the history data collected on seizure disorders by open format interview. We compared patients'/witnesses' descriptions of epileptic seizures with videotaped seizure characteristics and analyzed the accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), false-positive rate (FPR), and false-negative rate (FNR) of various components of the semiology in patients with partial epilepsy. Language disturbances, complex automatisms, and autonomic signs have high ACC and intermediate FNRs. This means that these manifestations are most obvious to the witness/patie...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Besocke AG, Rojas JI, Valiensi SM, Cristiano E, Garcia MD Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Basal cortisol is positively correlated to threat vigilance in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Previous studies have provided evidence for a vigilant attentional bias toward threat stimuli and increased basal diurnal cortisol levels in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Because cortisol levels may be predictive of threat vigilance, we reanalyzed previous data on threat vigilance in 19 unmedicated patients with PNES and found a positive correlation between baseline cortisol levels and attentional bias scores for threat stimuli (r=0.49, P=0.035). There was no such relationship in healthy matched controls (n=20) or in patients with epileptic seizures (n=17). These findings provide the first evi...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 6, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bakvis P, Spinhoven P, Roelofs K Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Biomagnetic profiles of verbal memory success in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to analyze memory profiles in patients with left hippocampal sclerosis (HS). Biomagnetic brain activity related to successful memory was compared in nine patients with left HS and nine age-matched controls. Patients manifested a higher number of activity sources over the right inferior parietal lobe in the late portion of the time window, and higher activity in the right than in the left MTL between 400 and 800ms. This was reinforced by a -0.46 MTL laterality index, which indicates right MTL dominance. Controls showed a higher number of dipoles in the left anterior ventral...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 6, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Maestú F, Campo P, García-Morales I, Del Barrio A, Paul N, Del Pozo F, Ortiz T, Gil-Nagel A Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Binasal visual field defects are not specific to vigabatrin.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study investigated the visual defects associated with the antiepileptic drug vigabatrin (VGB). Two hundred four people with epilepsy were grouped on the basis of antiepileptic drug therapy (current, previous, or no exposure to VGB). Groups were matched with respect to age, gender, and seizure frequency. All patients underwent objective assessment of electrophysiological function (wide-field multifocal electroretinography) and conventional visual field testing (static perimetry). Bilateral visual field constriction was observed in 59% of patients currently taking VGB, 43% of patients who previously took VGB, and 24% of...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - October 5, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Gonzalez P, Sills GJ, Parks S, Kelly K, Stephen LJ, Keating D, Dutton GN, Brodie MJ Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Multiple impacts of epilepsy and contributing factors: Findings from an ethnographic study in Vietnam.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We investigated issues related to treatment, impact of epilepsy, attitudes toward epilepsy, and disclosure in Vietnam through in-depth interviews with people with epilepsy (PWE) and their family members. We found that although participants prefer Western to traditional treatment, they experience problems in accessing different kinds of antiepileptic drugs and higher-level treatment facilities and with respect to treatment expenses. The impact of epilepsy can be observed in a wide range of daily living activities which include working, education, marriage, and family formation. Although both families and society at lar...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Aydemir N, Trung DV, Snape D, Baker GA, Jacoby A, Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Diagnostic validity of a neuropsychological test battery for Hispanic patients with epilepsy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Neuropsychological Screening Battery for Hispanics (NeSBHIS) was developed to address the growing need for linguistically appropriate Spanish-language assessment measures. Despite the potential benefits to clinical practice, no prior study has assessed its diagnostic validity in populations with epilepsy. One hundred and fifteen patients with confirmed epilepsy were evaluated via the NeSBHIS; these data were standardized according to age- and education-based norms. Performance decrements were observed in more than 40% of participants on measures of processing speed and naming. Deficits in verbal and visual recall w...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 28, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Barr WB, Bender HA, Morrison C, Cruz-Laureano D, Vazquez B, Kuzniecky R Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Forced spousal intercourse after seizures.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We describe a 39-year-old patient with uncontrolled partial epilepsy who developed postictal periods of hypersexual aggression toward his wife after nocturnal convulsions. Following these seizures, he would have forced intercourse with his wife, followed by tremendous guilt and remorse when informed of his actions in the morning. Nocturnal convulsions and postictal hypersexuality resolved with a combination of lamotrigine and levetiracetam, more sleep, and stress management. The temporal features of the hypersexual behavior with respect to convulsions and the resolution of the behavior with seizure control support that agg...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 27, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Arnedo V, Parker-Menzer K, Devinsky O Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Delayed time to first remission identifies poor long-term drug response of childhood-onset epilepsy: A prospective population-based study.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We determined if time to first remission predicts long-term antiepileptic drug response. We assessed time to first 1-year remission (1YR) as a determinant of entering future terminal 5-year remission (5YTR) in a population-based cohort of 144 children prospectively followed-up since their first unprovoked seizure before the age of 16years up to the mean age of 48years. The proportion of patients entering 5YTR was highly dependent on the length of time to first 1YR after starting adequate treatment. For 144 patients, the overall 5YTR rate decreased from 32% for those in remission at year 1 to 24% at year 2, to 5% after ...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 27, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Sillanpää M, Schmidt D Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Evaluation of dissociative experiences and the clinical utility of the Dissociative Experience Scale in patients with coexisting epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We investigated the relationship between dissociation and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and evaluated the clinical utility of the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) in patients with epilepsy. The DES was administered to 30 patients with epilepsy and PNES, 50 patients with epilepsy and no PNES, and 85 nonclinical individuals. Patients with epilepsy and PNES scored significantly higher on the DES (29.3) than patients with epilepsy without PNES (13.5) and nonclinical individuals (11.1). High DES scores (>30) were more frequently observed in patients with epilepsy and PNES (53%) than in patients with epileps...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 25, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Ito M, Adachi N, Okazaki M, Kato M, Onuma T Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Is there a circadian variation of epileptiform abnormalities in idiopathic generalized epilepsy?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Epileptiform abnormalities often occur at specific times of day or night, possibly attributable to state of consciousness (sleep vs. wake) and/or influences from the endogenous circadian pacemaker. In this pilot study we tested for the existence of circadian variation of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), independent of changes in state, environment, or behavior. Five patients with generalized epilepsy underwent a protocol whereby their sleep/wake schedule was evenly distributed across the circadian cycle while undergoing full-montage electroencephalography and hourly plasma melatonin measurements. Light was &l...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 25, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Pavlova MK, Shea SA, Scheer FA, Bromfield EB Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Psychosocial treatment programs in epilepsy: A review.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Psychosocial problems are a major unmet treatment need in epilepsy. The purpose of this review was to describe published psychosocial treatment interventions in the English medical literature. Seventeen outcome studies for 15 treatments were found. Survival past proof of concept was a problem, with only four programs making it into current use. With important exceptions, treatments met with limited success. Several were successful with medical education, improving quality of life, social adjustment, and adjustment to seizures. A psychological intervention for seizure control for patients with refractory epilepsy was ou...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 24, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Mittan RJ Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Real-time detection, quantification, warning, and control of epileptic seizures: The foundations for a scientific epileptology.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Substantive advances in clinical epileptology may be realized through the judicious use of real-time automated seizure detection, quantification, warning, and delivery of therapy in subjects with pharmacoresistant seizures. Materialization of these objectives is likely to elevate epileptology to the level of a mature clinical science. PMID: 19783218 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour)
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 24, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Osorio I, Frei MG Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Clinical efficacy and cognitive and neuropsychological effects of levetiracetam in epilepsy: An open-label multicenter study.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this prospective, multicenter, open-label study was to investigate the efficacy of levetiracetam (LEV) and determine its effects on cognitive and neuropsychological function. Sixty-nine patients were evaluated for effects of LEV on seizure control, cognitive (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]) and neuropsychological (Symptom Checklist-90 Revised [SCL-90-R]) functions, and quality of life (Quality of Life in Epilepsy-10 [QOLIE-10]) assessments at 3 and 12months of follow-up. Thirty-nine percent of patients achieved seizure freedom, and 68% had a 50% seizure frequency reduction after 1year of LEV (1235.5+/-...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 24, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Wu T, Chen CC, Chen TC, Tseng YF, Chiang CB, Hung CC, Liou HH Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Employment outcome and satisfaction after anterior temporal lobectomy for refractory epilepsy: A developing country's perspective.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We examined employment outcome and its determinants in 172 south Indian patients who had undergone anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) for medically refractory epilepsy. Despite seizure-free outcome in the majority, a significant change in post-ATL employment status occurred only in those involved in skilled jobs. Although factors such as younger age at surgery, shorter duration of epilepsy, longer post-ATL follow-up duration, and lower income were associated with favorable employment outcome in univariate analysis, only shorter duration of epilepsy was independently predictive in the multivariate model. A majority of homema...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 24, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: George L, Iyer RS, James R, Sankara Sarma P, Radhakrishnan K Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Estrogen increases latencies to seizures and levels of 5alpha-pregnan-3alpha-ol-20-one in hippocampus of wild-type, but not 5alpha-reductase knockout, mice.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Sex steroids can influence seizures. Estrogen (E(2)), progesterone (P(4)), and its metabolite, 5alpha-pregnan-3alpha-ol-20-one (3alpha,5alpha-THP), in particular, have received much attention for exerting these effects. Typically, it is thought that E(2) precipitates seizures, and progestogens, such as P(4) and 3alpha,5alpha-THP, attenuate seizures. However, E(2) may also have antiseizure effects, perhaps in part through its enhancement of the formation of 3alpha,5alpha-THP, which has GABA(A)/benzodiazepine receptor agonist-like actions. To test this hypothesis, male and female, castrated or ovariectomized, wild-type a...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 23, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Osborne DM, Frye CA Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

SCN1A mutation screening in adult patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome features.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mutations in the SCN1A gene have been identified in a variety of epilepsy phenotypes, from severe encephalopathies such as Dravet syndrome to milder familial forms such as generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus. In a previous study, an SCN1A mutation was also identified in a patient with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), and the aim of our study was to investigate the importance of mutations in the SCN1A gene in Norwegian patients with clinical features of LGS. We screened 22 adult patients for SCN1A mutations by direct sequencing of DNA and for micro-rearrangements with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplifi...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Selmer KK, Lund C, Brandal K, Undlien DE, Brodtkorb E Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals

Psychosocial factors associated with stigma in adults with epilepsy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Living Well with Epilepsy II called for further attention to stigma and its impact on people with epilepsy. In response, the South Carolina Health Outcomes Project on Epilepsy (SC HOPE) is examining the relationship between socioeconomic status, epilepsy severity, health care utilization, and quality of life in persons diagnosed with epilepsy. The current analysis quantifies perceived stigma reported by adults with epilepsy in relation to demographic, seizure-related, health, and psychosocial factors. It was found that reported levels of stigma were associated with interactions of seizure worry and employment status, s...
Source: Epilepsy and Behaviour - September 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Smith G, Ferguson PL, Saunders LL, Wagner JL, Wannamaker BB, Selassie AW Tags: Epilepsy Behav Source Type: journals