Education Research: Quality and Validity Evidence for a National In-Training Examination for Epilepsy Fellows.

Background And Objectives: Epilepsy education has been transformed over the past 2 decades, leading to a need for structured formative assessment tools. The American Epilepsy Society developed the Epilepsy Fellowship In-Training Examination (EpiFITE) to provide high-quality formative assessment for fellows, to stimulate program improvement, and to guide future learning and teaching. The aim of this study was to explore validity evidence for the EpiFITE in meeting these goals.

The involvement of the piriform cortex in non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy: an uncommon component of the epileptogenic network.

The piriform cortex is recognized as highly epileptogenic in rodents, yet its electrophysiological role in human epilepsy remains understudied. Recent surgical outcomes have suggested potential benefits in resecting the piriform cortex for cases of medial temporal lobe epilepsy. However, little is known about its electrophysiological activity in human epilepsy.

An ordinal clinical score predicts seizure freedom after minimally invasive epilepsy surgery.

Objective: To predict one-year seizure freedom, using a combination of relevant clinical variables, following stereotactic laser amygdalohippocampotomy for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in a series of 101 patients.

Methods: Eight predictors of seizure freedom were selected based on their association with medial temporal lobe epilepsy: (1) MRI evidence of mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS); (2) unitemporal interictal epileptiform discharges; (3) absence of generalized tonic-clonic seizures; (4) history of febrile seizures; (5) onset of epilepsy ≤16 years; (6) absence of an auditory, visual, or vertiginous aura; and (7) unitemporal ictal onset; (8) unitemporal PET hypometabolism. We compared four multivariate models: "MTS," using just evidence of MTS; "FULL," using all eight binary predictors; "AIC" using backwards selection of variables; and "SCORE," using a 0-to-8-point ordinal score awarding one point for each binary predictor.

Stereoelectroencephalography of the Deep Brain: Basal Ganglia and Thalami.

Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) has emerged as a transformative tool in epilepsy surgery, shedding light on the complex network dynamics involved in focal epilepsy. This review explores the role of SEEG in elucidating the role of deep brain structures, namely the basal ganglia and thalamus, in epilepsy. SEEG advances understanding of their contribution to seizure generation, propagation, and control by permitting precise and minimally invasive sampling of these brain regions.

Escaping the Procrustean Bed: A Perspective on Pediatric Stereoelectroencephalography.

Stereoelectroencephalography is an established, hypothesis-driven method for investigating refractory epilepsy. There are special considerations and some limitations that apply to children who undergo stereoelectroencephalography. A key principle in stereoelectroencephalography is taking an individualized approach to investigating refractory epilepsy.