Vagus nerve stimulation therapy in treatment-resistant depression: a series report.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as a therapeutic option for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), with follow-up periods of 1, 3 and 5 years after VNS surgery.

Methods: We examined 27 consecutive patients with unipolar TRD. Depressive symptoms were evaluated both at baseline and at follow-up after the surgery by means of the 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D 21).

Patients with epilepsy and patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: video-EEG, clinical and neuropsychological evaluation.

Purpose: The incidence of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) is 4.9/100,000/year and it is estimated that about 20-30% of patients referred to tertiary care epilepsy centers for refractory seizures have both epilepsy and PNES. The purpose of our study is to evaluate psychiatric disorders and neuropsychological functions among patients with PNES, patients with epilepsy associated with PNES and patients with epilepsy.