Neuropsychological Outcomes After Stereo-EEG Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation.

Background And Objectives: Stereo-EEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTHC) has been proposed as relatively safe from a cognitive perspective; however, there is a lack of evidence based on neuropsychological assessments supporting this. This study is the first prospective evaluation of neuropsychological outcomes associated with stereo-EEG-guided RFTHC in patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy.

Methods: This cohort study involved prospective recruitment of consecutive patients undergoing stereo-EEG from 2 Australian centers.

Characterisation of psychological and neurocognitive processes accompanying functional seizures.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between clinical, psychological, and cognitive characteristics of adults with functional seizures.

Methods: This study describes baseline characteristics of one-hundred and seven participants with a documented diagnosis of functional seizures recruited to the Re-PROGRAM randomised controlled trial. Participants completed a semi-structured interview, neuropsychological assessment, and questionnaire measures via Telehealth.

Paternal exposure to antiseizure medications and offspring outcomes: a systematic review.

Background: Concerns have recently been raised about risks to the fetus resulting from paternal exposure to antiseizure medications (ASMs). To address these concerns, we conducted a systematic review of the literature to assess neurodevelopmental and anatomical outcomes in offspring born to fathers taking ASMs at the time of conception.

Methods: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase were conducted to identify human studies published in English that reported on outcomes, comprising neurodevelopmental disorders, major congenital malformations, small-for-gestational age or low birth weight, in offspring of fathers taking ASMs at conception.

Re-PROGRAM: The evaluation of a brief intervention program for patients with functional seizures in an outpatient hospital setting.

Objective: Functional seizures (FS) account for 20%-25% of referrals to specialist epilepsy clinics. They are associated with major disability, increased mortality, and frequent and costly health care use. Current guidelines emphasize the importance of implementing clinical pathways to coordinate and deliver effective treatment, but there are few targeted evidence-based interventions that reliably improve patient outcomes, and treatment resources are limited.

"What are your seizures telling you?": A therapeutic tool for functional seizures.

Background: Understanding illness representations is considered important for improving health outcomes, yet how people with functional seizures reflect on the possible psychological function of their seizures has not been studied.

Methods: A semi-structured interview comprising open and closed questions was administered to 99 participants with a documented diagnosis of functional seizures. One item, 'What do you think your functional seizure symptoms are telling you?" sought to explore how individuals reflect on the possible function of their seizures.

Validation of the Seizure-Related Impact Assessment Scale (SERIAS): a study protocol.

Introduction: This study aims to validate the Seizure-Related Impact Assessment Scale (SERIAS). This novel patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) compares the 'trade-off' between seizures and treatment-related adverse effects, and measures epilepsy disability qualitatively and quantitively. It fills an important gap in PROMs for epilepsy clinical trials and practice.

Tailoring amorphous boron nitride for high-performance two-dimensional electronics.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their atomically thin structure and unique electronic and optoelectronic properties. To harness their full potential for applications in next-generation electronics and photonics, precise control over the dielectric environment surrounding the 2D material is critical. The lack of nucleation sites on 2D surfaces to form thin, uniform dielectric layers often leads to interfacial defects that degrade the device performance, posing a major roadblock in the realization of 2D-based devices.

Neurodevelopmental and Functional Outcomes Following In Utero Exposure to Antiseizure Medication: A Systematic Review.

Background And Objectives: To undertake a systematic review of the available literature to examine the relationship between prenatal antiseizure medication (ASM) exposure and adverse postnatal neurodevelopmental outcomes, focusing on social, emotional, behavioral, and adaptive domains of human function, and the frequency of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in ASM-exposed offspring.

Methods: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and EMBASE were conducted and limited to studies published between 1990 and 2023 in English. Studies were eligible if they prospectively or retrospectively reported neurodevelopmental outcomes of ASM-exposed offspring.

Comparative effectiveness of digital mental healthcare models for adults with epilepsy: A study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Mental health complaints are prevalent among people with epilepsy, yet there are major barriers that prevent access to psychological care, including high out-of-pocket costs and a lack of accessible specialized services. The purpose of the current study is to examine the comparative efficacy, acceptability, cost-effectiveness, and long-term outcomes of a digital psychological intervention when delivered under two models of care (i.e.

Forensic examination of a fragmentary funerary portrait in the collection of the Harvard art museums.

The Harvard Art Museums' collection includes six Egyptian funerary portraits of the Roman period. These portraits are all that remains of the funerary equipment of individuals whose bodies were carefully prepared for burial and the afterlife. One example, depicting a man, is particularly complicated, broken into multiple fragments which have been glued down onto a board.

Content or context? A study protocol for a three-arm parallel randomised controlled trial of R-PROGRAM, a brief internet-based intervention for patients with functional seizures.

Introduction: Functional seizures (FS) mimic epilepsy but are not caused by epileptic electrical activity in the brain and are believed to have a psychological origin. There is a well-documented gap between the needs of patients with FS and available therapeutic resources. While there is potential for reducing seizure burden in patients via psychosocial intervention, there is no evidence-based care pathway or consistent availability of treatment and no effective pharmacological treatment.

An international survey of SEEG cortical stimulation practices.

Objective: Cortical stimulation is an important component of stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). Despite this, there is currently no standardized approach and significant heterogeneity in the literature regarding cortical stimulation practices. Via an international survey of SEEG clinicians, we sought to examine the spectrum of cortical stimulation practices to reveal areas of consensus and variability.

Principles for delivering improved care of people with functional seizures: Closing the treatment gap.

Patients diagnosed with functional (psychogenic nonepileptic) seizures have similar or greater levels of disability, morbidity and mortality than people with epilepsy, but there are far fewer treatment services. In contrast to epilepsy, the current understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms and the development of evidence-based treatments for functional seizures is rudimentary. This leads to high direct healthcare costs and high indirect costs to the patient, family and wider society.

The "make or break" impact of family dynamics on psychological outcomes in focal epilepsy.

Objective: Living with epilepsy can shape the dynamics of the whole family unit. The first objective of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of our purpose-built online family mapping tool: "Living with Epilepsy." Our second objective was to identify distinct patterns of emotional closeness between family members (family typologies), and to explore (1) whether family typologies are shaped by epilepsy-related factors, and (2) which typologies confer optimal psychological outcomes to people with epilepsy.

Body image dissatisfaction: A novel predictor of poor quality of life in epilepsy.

Objective: People with epilepsy have long reported reduced quality of life (QoL) compared to healthy peers. This initial study seeks to broaden our understanding of QoL in adults with epilepsy, by examining the adverse impact of body image dissatisfaction for the first time. This aim stems from the observation that both seizures and their medical treatment can cause unwanted changes to physical appearances, such as weight change, hirsutism, and acne.

Childhood trauma in patients with epileptic vs nonepileptic seizures.

Objective: Childhood trauma has been implicated as a risk factor for the etiology of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Relatively little attention has been paid to whether profiles of specific trauma types differ between patients with epilepsy and PNES. Investigating childhood trauma profiles in these patient groups may identify psychological vulnerabilities that predispose to developing PNES, and aid early diagnoses, prevention, and treatment.

Compromised future thinking: another cognitive cost of temporal lobe epilepsy.

The ability to mentally travel forward through time allows humans to envisage a diverse array of possible events taking place in the future, helping us to choose which pathway to take in life. In epilepsy, we assume that patients use this cognitive ability when deciding between various treatment options, but this assumption has not been robustly tested. The temporal lobes are key contributors to this 'future thinking' and its building blocks include cognitive functions commonly impaired in temporal lobe epilepsy such as memory and language, giving rise to a hypothesis that 'future thinking' is impaired in this patient cohort.

Understanding long-term changes in patient identity 15-20 years after surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy.

Objective: Following epilepsy surgery, patients can experience complex psychosocial changes. We recently described a longer term adjustment and reframing ("meaning-making") process 15-20 years following surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy, which could involve an ongoing sense of being a "different" person for some patients. Here, we quantitatively examine identity at long-term follow-up and how this relates to meaning-making and postoperative seizure outcome.

Postictal Psychosis in Epilepsy: A Clinicogenetic Study.

Objective: Psychoses affecting people with epilepsy increase disease burden and diminish quality of life. We characterized postictal psychosis, which comprises about one quarter of epilepsy-related psychoses, and has unknown causation.

Methods: We conducted a case-control cohort study including patients diagnosed with postictal psychosis, confirmed by psychiatric assessment, with available data regarding epilepsy, treatment, psychiatric history, psychosis profile, and outcomes.

Psychiatric and cognitive characteristics of older adults admitted to a Video-EEG monitoring (VEM) unit.

Objective: To compare the clinical, psychiatric, and cognitive characteristics of older with younger patients presenting to a video-EEG monitoring (VEM) unit.

Method: This was a retrospective case-control study involving patients admitted for VEM over a two-year period (from April 2018 to April 2020) at two comprehensive epilepsy units. Patients were categorized into an older (≥60 years) and a younger (<60 years) group.

Clinical predictors of discordance between screening tests and psychiatric assessment for depressive and anxiety disorders among patients being evaluated for seizure disorders.

Objective: This study was undertaken to identify factors that predict discordance between the screening instruments Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and diagnoses made by qualified psychiatrists among patients with seizure disorders. Importantly, this is not a validation study; rather, it investigates clinicodemographic predictors of discordance between screening tests and psychiatric assessment.

Methods: Adult patients admitted for inpatient video-electroencephalographic monitoring completed eight psychometric instruments, including the NDDI-E and GAD-7, and psychiatric assessment.