Publications by authors named "Guadalupe Fernandez-BacaVaca"

Background And Objectives: Clonic seizures are currently defined as repetitive and rhythmic contractions of a specific body part, producing twitching movements at a frequency of 0.2-5 Hz. There are few studies in the literature that have reported a detailed analysis of the semiology, neurophysiology, and lateralizing value of clonic seizures.

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Topological data analysis (TDA) combined with machine learning (ML) algorithms is a powerful approach for investigating complex brain interaction patterns in neurological disorders such as epilepsy. However, the use of ML algorithms and TDA for analysis of aberrant brain interactions requires substantial domain knowledge in computing as well as pure mathematics. To lower the threshold for clinical and computational neuroscience researchers to effectively use ML algorithms together with TDA to study neurological disorders, we introduce an integrated web platform called MaTiLDA.

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The rapid adoption of machine learning (ML) algorithms in a wide range of biomedical applications has highlighted issues of trust and the lack of understanding regarding the results generated by ML algorithms. Recent studies have focused on developing interpretable ML models and establish guidelines for transparency and ethical use, ensuring the responsible integration of machine learning in healthcare. In this study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of ML interpretability methods to provide important insights into the dynamics of brain network interactions in epilepsy, a serious neurological disorder affecting more than 60 million persons worldwide.

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Article Synopsis
  • A novel approach to restore upper extremity function in individuals with high tetraplegia is explored through selective peripheral nerve stimulation, guided by signals from intracortical microelectrode recordings.
  • The study involved a right-handed man with complete paralysis due to spinal cord injury, who received implants in specific brain areas and peripheral nerves to enable targeted muscle contractions and restore tactile sensation.
  • Results showed successful recording of neural activity linked to intended movements and stimulation that allowed the subject to experience touch, indicating the system's effectiveness and good tolerance without complications.
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Objective: To study the neurophysiology of motor responses elicited by electrical stimulation of the primary motor cortex.

Methods: We studied motor responses in four patients undergoing invasive epilepsy monitoring and functional cortical mapping via electrical cortical stimulation using surface EMG electrodes. In addition, polygraphic analysis of intracranial EEG and EMG during bilateral tonic-clonic seizures, induced by cortical stimulation, was performed in two patients.

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Alterations in consciousness state are a defining characteristic of focal epileptic seizures. Consequently, understanding the complex changes in neurocognitive networks which underpin seizure-induced alterations in consciousness state is important for advancement in seizure classification. Comprehension of these changes are complicated by a lack of data standardization; however, the use of a common terminological system or ontology in a patient registry minimizes this issue.

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Epilepsy is a common serious neurological disorder that affects more than 65 million persons worldwide and it is characterized by repeated seizures that lead to higher mortality and disabilities with corresponding negative impact on the quality of life of patients. Network science methods that represent brain regions as nodes and the interactions between brain regions as edges have been extensively used in characterizing network changes in neurological disorders. However, the limited ability of graph network models to represent high dimensional brain interactions are being increasingly realized in the computational neuroscience community.

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Background And Objectives: To evaluate residual symptoms after all-cause autoimmune encephalitis in a real-life outpatient setting and compare long-term outcome measures. A secondary objective was to identify correlates of poor outcomes.

Methods: We analyzed patients referred to the Neuroimmunology clinic for evaluation of autoimmune encephalitis for whom standardized data were collected.

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Two types of lid movements, blinks and lid saccades, have discrete kinematic properties and physiology. These differences are reflected in distinct phenomenology of disorders affecting their neural substrate. Proof of this principle was seen in two patients, one with parietal lobe epilepsy and the other with temporal lobe epilepsy.

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: Brain functional connectivity measures are often used to study interactions between brain regions in various neurological disorders such as epilepsy. In particular, functional connectivity measures derived from high resolution electrophysiological signal data have been used to characterize epileptic networks in epilepsy patients. However, existing signal data formats as well as computational methods are not suitable for complex multi-step methods used for processing and analyzing signal data across multiple seizure events.

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Article Synopsis
  • The case study discusses a 38-year-old patient with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis who experienced eye and head deviations that were mistaken for epilepsy, but were actually due to drug-induced oculogyric crises (OGCs).
  • During monitoring, it was found that the patient had been chronically exposed to metoclopramide, leading to a diagnosis of OGC; stopping the medication significantly reduced the frequency of his episodes.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of differentiating between epilepsy and OGC using video-EEG monitoring, especially in patients on antidopaminergic medications or with specific brain lesions.
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There are at least five types of alterations of consciousness that occur during epileptic seizures: auras with illusions or hallucinations, dyscognitive seizures, epileptic delirium, dialeptic seizures, and epileptic coma. Each of these types of alterations of consciousness has a specific semiology and a distinct pathophysiologic mechanism. In this proposal we emphasize the need to clearly define each of these alterations/loss of consciousness and to apply this terminology in semiologic descriptions and classifications of epileptic seizures.

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In the last 10-15 years the ILAE Commission on Classification and Terminology has been presenting proposals to modernize the current ILAE Classification of Epileptic Seizures and Epilepsies. These proposals were discussed extensively in a series of articles published recently in Epilepsia and Epilepsy Currents. There is almost universal consensus that the availability of new diagnostic techniques as also of a modern understanding of epilepsy calls for a complete revision of the Classification of Epileptic Seizures and Epilepsies.

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