1. |
|
|
2. |
- Avdic, Una, et al.
(author)
-
Nonconvulsive status epilepticus in rats leads to brain pathology
- 2018
-
In: Epilepsia. - : Wiley. - 0013-9580 .- 1528-1167. ; 59:5, s. 945-958
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Status epilepticus (SE) is an abnormally prolonged epileptic seizure that if associated with convulsive motor symptoms is potentially life threatening for a patient. However, 20%-40% of patients with SE lack convulsive events and instead present with more subtle semiology such as altered consciousness and less motor activity. Today, there is no general consensus regarding to what extent nonconvulsive SE (NCSE) is harmful to the brain, which adds uncertainty to stringent treatment regimes. Methods: Here, we evaluated brain pathology in an experimental rat and mouse model of complex partial NCSE originating in the temporal lobes with Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and ex vivo diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The NCSE was induced by electrical stimulation with intrahippocampal electrodes and terminated with pentobarbital anesthesia. Video-electroencephalographic recordings were performed throughout the experiment. Results: DTI of mice 7 weeks post-NCSE showed no robust long-lasting changes in fractional anisotropy within the hippocampal epileptic focus. Instead, we found pathophysiological changes developing over time when measuring protein levels and cell counts in extracted brain tissue. At 6 and 24 hours post-NCSE in rats, few changes were observed within the hippocampus and cortical or subcortical structures in Western blot analyses of key components of the cellular immune response and synaptic protein expression, while neurodegeneration had started. However, 1 week post-NCSE, both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic protein levels were decreased in hippocampus, concomitant with an excessive microglial and astrocytic activation. At 4 weeks, a continuous immune response in the hippocampus was accompanied with neuronal loss. Levels of the excitatory synaptic adhesion molecule N-cadherin were decreased specifically in rats that developed unprovoked spontaneous seizures (epileptogenesis) within 1 month following NCSE, compared to rats only exhibiting acute symptomatic seizures within 1 week post-NCSE. Significance: These findings provide evidence for a significant brain pathology following NCSE in an experimental rodent model.
|
|
3. |
- Ben-Menachem, Elinor, 1945, et al.
(author)
-
Long-term safety and efficacy of lacosamide and controlled-release carbamazepine monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy
- 2019
-
In: Epilepsia. - : Wiley. - 0013-9580 .- 1528-1167. ; 60:12, s. 2437-2447
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: A large-scale, double-blind trial (SP0993; NCT01243177) demonstrated that lacosamide was noninferior to controlled-release carbamazepine (carbamazepine-CR) in terms of efficacy, and well tolerated as first-line monotherapy in patients (≥16years of age) with newly diagnosed epilepsy. We report primary safety outcomes from the double-blind extension of the noninferiority trial (SP0994; NCT01465997) and post hoc analyses of pooled long-term safety and efficacy data from both trials. Methods: Patients were randomized 1:1 to lacosamide or carbamazepine-CR. Doses were escalated (lacosamide: 200/400/600mg/d; carbamazepine-CR: 400/800/1200mg/d) based on seizure control. Eligible patients continued randomized treatment in the extension. Primary outcomes of the extension were treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), serious TEAEs, and discontinuations due to TEAEs. Post hoc analyses of data from combined trials included 12- and 24-month seizure freedom and TEAEs by number of comorbid conditions. Results: A total of 886 patients were treated in the initial trial and 548 in the extension; 211 of 279 patients (75.6%) on lacosamide and 180/269 (66.9%) on carbamazepine-CR completed the extension. In the extension, 181 patients(64.9%) on lacosamide and 182 (67.7%) on carbamazepine-CR reported TEAEs; in both groups, nasopharyngitis, headache, and dizziness were most common. Serious TEAEs were reported by 32 patients (11.5%) on lacosamide and 22 (8.2%) on carbamazepine-CR; 12 (4.3%) and 21 (7.8%) discontinued due to TEAEs. In the combined trials (median exposure: lacosamide 630days; carbamazepine-CR 589days), Kaplan-Meier estimated proportions of patients with 12- and 24-month seizure freedom from first dose were 50.8% (95% confidence interval 46.2%-55.4%) and 47.0% (42.2%-51.7%) on lacosamide, and 54.9% (50.3%-59.6%) and 50.9% (46.0%-55.7%) on carbamazepine-CR. Incidences of drug-related TEAEs and discontinuations due to TEAEs increased by number of comorbid conditions and were lower in patients on lacosamide. Significance: Long-term (median~2years) lacosamide monotherapy was efficacious and generally well tolerated in adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Seizurefreedom rates were similar with lacosamide and carbamazepine-CR. © 2019 UCB Biopharma SPRL. Epilepsia published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International League Against Epilepsy.
|
|
4. |
- Beniczky, S., et al.
(author)
-
Testing patients during seizures: A European consensus procedure developed by a joint taskforce of the ILAE – Commission on European Affairs and the European Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Association
- 2016
-
In: Epilepsia. - : Wiley. - 0013-9580 .- 1528-1167. ; 57:9, s. 1363-1368
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is currently no international consensus procedure for performing comprehensive periictal testing of patients in the epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs). Our primary goal was to develop a standardized procedure for managing and testing patients during and after seizures in EMUs. The secondary goal was to assess whether it could be implemented in clinical practice (feasibility). A taskforce was appointed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)—Commission on European Affairs and the European Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Association, to develop a standardized ictal testing battery (ITB) based on expert opinion and experience with various local testing protocols. ITB contains a comprehensive set of 10 items that evidence the clinically relevant semiologic features, and it is adaptive to the dynamics of the individual seizures. The feasibility of the ITB was prospectively evaluated on 250 seizures from 152 consecutive patients in 10 centers. ITB was successfully implemented in clinical practice in all 10 participating centers and was considered feasible in 93% of the tested seizures. ITB was not feasible for testing seizures of very short duration. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy
|
|
5. |
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
|
|
8. |
- Blumcke, I., et al.
(author)
-
International recommendation for a comprehensive neuropathologic workup of epilepsy surgery brain tissue: A consensus Task Force report from the ILAE Commission on Diagnostic Methods
- 2016
-
In: Epilepsia. - : Wiley. - 0013-9580. ; 57:3, s. 348-358
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Epilepsy surgery is an effective treatment in many patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsies. An early decision for surgical therapy is facilitated by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)visible brain lesion congruent with the electrophysiologically abnormal brain region. Recent advances in the pathologic diagnosis and classification of epileptogenic brain lesions are helpful for clinical correlation, outcome stratification, and patient management. However, application of international consensus classification systems to common epileptic pathologies (e.g., focal cortical dysplasia [FCD] and hippocampal sclerosis [HS]) necessitates standardized protocols for neuropathologic workup of epilepsy surgery specimens. To this end, the Task Force of Neuropathology from the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Commission on Diagnostic Methods developed a consensus standard operational procedure for tissue inspection, distribution, and processing. The aims are to provide a systematic framework for histopathologic workup, meeting minimal standards and maximizing current and future opportunities for morphofunctional correlations and molecular studies for both clinical care and research. Whenever feasible, anatomically intact surgical specimens are desirable to enable systematic analysis in selective hippocampectomies, temporal lobe resections, and lesional or nonlesional neocortical samples. Correct orientation of sample and the sample's relation to neurophysiologically aberrant sites requires good communication between pathology and neurosurgical teams. Systematic tissue sampling of 5-mm slabs along a defined anatomic axis and application of a limited immunohistochemical panel will ensure a reliable differential diagnosis of main pathologies encountered in epilepsy surgery.
|
|
9. |
- Brikell, Isabell, et al.
(author)
-
Medication treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and the risk of acute seizures in individuals with epilepsy
- 2019
-
In: Epilepsia. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0013-9580 .- 1528-1167. ; 60:2, s. 284-293
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 10%-30% of individuals with epilepsy, yet concerns remain regarding the safety of ADHD medication in this group. The objective of this study was to examine the risk of acute seizures associated with ADHD medication in individuals with epilepsy.METHODS: A total of 21 557 individuals with a seizure history born between 1987 and 2003 were identified from Swedish population registers. Within this study population, we also identified 6773 youth (<19 years of age) who meet criteria for epilepsy, and 1605 youth with continuous antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. ADHD medication initiation and repeated medication periods were identified from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2013. Acute seizures were identified via unplanned visits to hospital or specialist care with a primary seizure discharge diagnosis in the Swedish National Patient Register during the same period. Conditional Poisson regression was used to compare the seizure rate during the 24 weeks before and after initiation of ADHD medication with the rate during the same 48 weeks in the previous year. Cox regression was used to compare the seizure rate during ADHD medication periods with the rate during nonmedication periods. Comparisons were made within-individual to adjust for unmeasured, time?constant confounding.RESULTS: Among 995 individuals who initiated ADHD medication during follow-up, within-individual analyses showed no statistically significant difference in the rate of seizures during the 24 weeks before and after medication initiation, compared to the same period in the previous year. In the full study population 11 754 seizure events occurred during 136 846 person-years and 1855 individuals had at least one ADHD medication period. ADHD medication periods were associated with a reduced rate of acute seizures (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57-0.94), compared to nonmedication periods within the same individual. Similar associations were found in youth with epilepsy and continuous AED treatment, when adjusting for AEDs, and across sex, age, and comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders.SIGNIFICANCE: We found no evidence for an overall increased rate of acute seizures associated with ADHD medication treatment among individuals with epilepsy. These results suggest that epilepsy should not automatically preclude patients from receiving ADHD medications.
|
|
10. |
- Brodie, Martin J, et al.
(author)
-
Cannabinoids for epilepsy: What do we know and where do we go?
- 2018
-
In: Epilepsia. - : Wiley. - 1528-1167 .- 1528-1167 .- 0013-9580. ; 59:2, s. 291-296
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Over the past decade there has been an increasing interest in using cannabinoids to treat a range of epilepsy syndromes following reports of some remarkable responses in individual patients. The situation is complicated by the fact that these agents do not appear to work via their attachment to endogenous cannabinoid receptors. Their pharmacokinetics are complex, and bioavailability is variable, resulting in difficulty in developing a suitable formulation for oral delivery. Drug interactions also represent another complication in their everyday use. Nevertheless, recent randomized, placebo-controlled trials with cannabidiol support its efficacy in Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. Further placebo-controlled studies are underway in adults with focal epilepsy using cannabidivarin. The many unanswered questions in the use of cannabinoids to treat epileptic seizures are briefly summarized in the conclusion.
|
|