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.
It has been well established that traumatic brain injury (TBI) modifies the composition of gut microbiome. Epilepsy, which represents one of the common sequelae of TBI, has been associated with dysbiosis. Earlier study showed that the risk of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) after lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) in rats can be stratified based on pre-existing (i.e., pre-TBI) gut microbiome profile.
The mechanisms underlying accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) in patients with epilepsy are still under investigation. We examined the contribution of hippocampal subfields and their morphology to long-term memory performance in patients with focal epilepsy.
Acceptance techniques and mindfulness practice may bring mental health benefits for some people living with epilepsy, but do not have consistent results for everyone. Patient diversity and preferences need to be factored into effective third-wave approaches for this cohort.
Pediatric Epilepsy
This issue of Epilepsy Research News highlights articles on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with epilepsy, Ketamine used as a treatment for neonatal, pediatric epilepsy, and more.
By assessing emotion processing circuits, recently published findings in Epilepsy & Behavior showed that diagnostic delays for functional seizures (FS) are associated with functional MRI (fMRI) changes in the insula and cingulate regions of the brain. Both are implicated in mood control, self-referencing, and other emotion-relevant processes.
This study assessed the strengths of association among perceived stress, felt stigma, and depression in adults with epilepsy, and evaluated whether felt stigma altered the association between perceived stress and depression.
