A retrospective multicentric study on the effectiveness of intravenous brivaracetam in seizure clusters: Data from the Italian experience.

Objective: Nearly half of people with epilepsy (PWE) are expected to develop seizure clusters (SC), with the subsequent risk of hospitalization. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use, effectiveness and safety of intravenous (IV) brivaracetam (BRV) in the treatment of SC.

Methods: Retrospective multicentric study of patients with SC (≥ 2 seizures/24 h) who received IV BRV.

Predictive factors of Status Epilepticus and its recurrence in patients with adult-onset seizures: A multicenter, long follow-up cohort study.

Purpose: Status epilepticus (SE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This multicenter retrospective cohort study aims to identify the factors associated with the occurrence of SE and the predictors of its recurrence in patients with adult-onset seizures.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of 1115 patients with seizure onset>18 years, observed from 1983 to 2020 in 7 Italian Centers (median follow-up 2.

Functional activity changes in memory and emotional systems of healthy subjects with déjà vu.

Déjà vu (DV) is a fascinating and mysterious human experience that has attracted interest from psychologists and neuroscientists for over a century. In recent years, several studies have been conducted to unravel the psychological and neurological correlates of this phenomenon. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the DV experience in benign manifestations are still poorly understood.

Hypertension, seizures, and epilepsy: a review on pathophysiology and management.

Background: Epilepsy and hypertension are common chronic conditions, both showing high prevalence in older age groups. This review outlines current experimental and clinical evidence on both direct and indirect role of hypertension in epileptogenesis and discusses the principles of drug treatment in patients with hypertension and epilepsy.

Methods: We selected English-written articles on epilepsy, hypertension, stroke, and cerebrovascular disease until December, 2018.

Need for a standardized technique of nap EEG recordings: results of a national online survey in Italy.

The aim of this study is to report current clinical practice for sleep induction in Italian epilepsy centers. We administered an online-structured survey between March and November 2017 and collected data from pediatric and adult neurophysiologists belonging to 73 epilepsy centers. The preferred time for EEG recording is variable, depending on daily schedule of each laboratory.

Diagnostic Biomarkers of Epilepsy.

Background: Diagnostic biomarkers of epilepsy are objectively measurable variables associated with the development of epilepsy or the propensity to generate seizures. Identification of biomarkers could be helpful for differential diagnosis and for tailored therapeutic approaches.

Objective: This review focuses on diagnostic biomarkers of epilepsy, including genetic, serological, neuroimaging and electrophysiological variables.

Validation Study of Italian Version of Inventory for Déjà Vu Experiences Assessment (I-IDEA): A Screening Tool to Detect Déjà Vu Phenomenon in Italian Healthy Individuals.

The Inventory Déjà Vu Experiences Assessment (IDEA) is the only screening instrument proposed to evaluate the Déjà vu (DV) experience. Here, we intended to validate the Italian version of IDEA (I-IDEA) and at the same time to investigate the incidence and subjective qualities of the DV phenomenon in healthy Italian adult individuals on basis of an Italian multicentre observational study. In this study, we report normative data on the I-IDEA, collected on a sample of 542 Italian healthy subjects aging between 18-70 years (average age: 40) with a formal educational from 1-19 years.

An SNP site in pri-miR-124, a brain expressed miRNA gene, no contribution to mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in an Italian sample.

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is the most common type of refractory epilepsy and is usually associated with hippocampal sclerosis (Hs). The pathogenesis of MTLE involves many biological pathways, some of which seem to be regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). Increasing evidence shows that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or mutations in miRNAs sequence may affect the processing and function of miRNAs and participate in the occurrence of diseases.

Cerebellar involvement in essential tremor with and without resting tremor: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging study.

Objective: Essential Tremor with resting tremor (rET) is a debated and poorly understood clinical phenotype. Converging evidences show that neurodegeneration of the cerebellum underlies the pathophysiology of ET, but it is not known if cerebellar changes also occurs in patients with rET. The aim of our study was to evaluate cerebellar microstructure in patients with ET with- (rET) and without resting tremor (ETwr) in comparison to healthy controls by MR Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI).

Individual differences in depression are associated with abnormal function of the limbic system in multiple sclerosis patients.

Background: Depression is common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), although the brain mechanisms of this psychiatric condition in MS are poorly understood. Specifically, it remains to be determined whether depression in MS is related to altered activity and functional connectivity patterns within limbic circuits.

Methods: Seventy-seven MS patients with variable levels of depression (as assessed via the Beck Depression Inventory) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an emotional processing task.