Association Between Frailty and Antiseizure Medication Tolerability in Older Adults With Epilepsy.

Background And Objective: Frailty is an important aspect of biological aging, referring to the increased vulnerability of individuals with frailty to physical and psychological stressors. While older adults with epilepsy are an important and distinct clinical group, there are no data on frailty in this population. We hypothesize that frailty will correlate with the seizure frequency and especially the tolerability of antiseizure medications (ASMs) in older adults with epilepsy.

Development and validation of the Epilepsy Surgery Satisfaction Questionnaire (ESSQ-19).

Objective: No validated tools exist to assess satisfaction with epilepsy surgery. We aimed to develop and validate a new measure of patient satisfaction with epilepsy surgery, the 19-item Epilepsy Surgery Satisfaction Questionnaire (ESSQ-19).

Methods: An initial 31-item measure was developed based on literature review, patient focus groups, thematic analysis, and Delphi panels.

The Concept of an Epilepsy Brain Bank.

Epilepsy comprises more than 40 clinical syndromes affecting millions of patients and families worldwide. To decode the molecular and pathological framework of epilepsy researchers, need reliable human epilepsy and control brain samples. Brain bank organizations collecting and supplying well-documented clinically and pathophysiologically tissue specimens are important for high-quality neurophysiology and neuropharmacology studies for epilepsy and other neurological diseases.

Practice Guidelines for Canadian Neurophysiology Laboratories During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on clinical practice. Safe standards of practice are essential to protect health care workers while still allowing them to provide good care. The Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists, the Canadian Association of Electroneurophysiology Technologists, the Association of Electromyography Technologists of Canada, the Board of Registration of Electromyography Technologists of Canada, and the Canadian Board of Registration of Electroencephalograph Technologists have combined to review current published literature about safe practices for neurophysiology laboratories.

Art and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are episodes of seizure-like symptoms that are not associated with epileptiform discharges on electroencephalogram (EEG). They can be remarkably difficult to distinguish from epileptic seizures: both may involve alterations in mental status and behavior, sensory or perceptual disturbances, as well as simple or complex motor patterns. Pictorial expressions of PNES have always attracted attention from the lay public and medical practitioners alike, by showing the rich variety of semiologies seen in the condition and its differences with epileptic seizures.

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in Latin America: A survey describing current practices.

Objective: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are one of the most common differential diagnoses of epilepsy. This study provides an overview of diagnostic and treatment services for patients with PNES across Latin America.

Methods: In 2017-2018, clinicians practicing in Latin America with responsibilities for patients with PNES were contacted to respond to a survey regarding the management of this disorder developed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) PNES Task Force.

Atypical language localization in right temporal lobe epilepsy: An fMRI case report.

We report a 41- year-old, left-handed patient with drug-resistant right temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Presurgical fMRI was conducted to examine whether the patient had language functioning in the right hemisphere given that left-handedness is associated with a higher prevalence of right hemisphere dominance for language. The fMRI results revealed bilateral activation in Broca's and Wernicke's areas and activation of eloquent cortex near the region of planned resection in the right temporal lobe.

Tablet-based electroencephalography diagnostics for patients with epilepsy in the West African Republic of Guinea.

Background And Purpose: Epilepsy is most common in lower-income settings where access to electroencephalography (EEG) is generally poor. A low-cost tablet-based EEG device may be valuable, but the quality and reproducibility of the EEG output are not established.

Methods: Tablet-based EEG was deployed in a heterogeneous epilepsy cohort in the Republic of Guinea (2018-2019), consisting of a tablet wirelessly connected to a 14-electrode cap.

A patient with epilepsy charged with kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and assault causing bodily harm after seizures: Deficiencies in the legal system.

We report the rare case of a 34-year-old right-handed male who had drug-resistant epilepsy associated with a frontal cavernoma since the age of 13 who was convicted of criminal charges related to seizures. When he was 32 years old, he had a focal seizure with impaired awareness and then he tried to grab a 7-year-old girl who was in a car coming out from a dance class. He was arrested and taken to the police station.

The Use of Cannabis as a Treatment for Epilepsy in Adult Patients: Are Side Effects a Limitation of Use?

Marijuana is the dried leaves, stems, and flowers of a 1- to 5-m weed originating from Central Asia. The most common varieties are Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. It is usually inhaled as smoke but can also be used as a vapor, taken by mouth as a spray, ingested in tea or as butter in baked goods, or in capsule form and used as an oil.

Risk factors associated with drug resistant focal epilepsy in adults: A case control study.

Purpose: Using an adult cohort of patients with focal epilepsy, we aimed to identify risk factors for development of drug-resistant epilepsy, which if identifiable would allow patients to receive appropriate counsel and earlier surgical treatment.

Methods: This is a case-control study nested within a cohort, 146 adult patients with focal epilepsy were included. Definitions were used in accordance with ILAE criteria.

Position Statement on the Use of Medical Cannabis for the Treatment of Epilepsy in Canada.

In Canada, recreational use of cannabis was legalized in October 2018. This policy change along with recent publications evaluating the efficacy of cannabis for the medical treatment of epilepsy and media awareness about its use have increased the public interest about this agent. The Canadian League Against Epilepsy Medical Therapeutics Committee, along with a multidisciplinary group of experts and Canadian Epilepsy Alliance representatives, has developed a position statement about the use of medical cannabis for epilepsy.

Resolution of ictal bradycardia and asystole following temporal lobectomy: A case report, and review of available cases using pacemakers.

Ictal bradycardia (IB) and ictal asystole (IA) are uncommonly recognized phenomena that increase morbidity in patients with epilepsy by causing syncope and seizure-related falls. These arrhythmias are also suspected to be involved in the pathophysiology of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). We report a case of a 57-year-old male with left temporal lobe epilepsy who experienced both IB and IA.

Dosage Related Efficacy and Tolerability of Cannabidiol in Children With Treatment-Resistant Epileptic Encephalopathy: Preliminary Results of the CARE-E Study.

There is uncertainty regarding the appropriate dose of Cannabidiol (CBD) for childhood epilepsy. We present the preliminary data of seven participants from the Cannabidiol in Children with Refractory Epileptic Encephalopathy (CARE-E) study. The study is an open-label, prospective, dose-escalation trial.

Forced normalization: A systematic review.

Objective: Forced normalization (FN) is an intriguing phenomenon characterized by the emergence of psychiatric disturbances following the establishment of seizure control or reduction in the epileptic activity in a patient with previous uncontrolled epilepsy. We aim to describe the clinical characteristics of the condition.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Scielo from January 1953 to January 2018.

Deep Brain Stimulation and Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Review of the Literature.

Deep brain stimulation is a safe and effective neurointerventional technique for the treatment of movement disorders. Electrical stimulation of subcortical structures may exert a control on seizure generators initiating epileptic activities. The aim of this review is to present the targets of the deep brain stimulation for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.

Forced normalization after turning off vagus nerve stimulation in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Forced normalization is the development of psychiatric symptoms in a patient experiencing remission of seizures. We present a case of Lennox Gastaut syndrome in which forced normalization developed after vagus nerve stimulation was stopped. The patient had drug resistant epilepsy and failed anti-seizure drugs, vagus nerve stimulation, and a partial callosotomy.

Epilepsy, Physical Activity and Sports: A Narrative Review.

People with epilepsy (PWE) are less physically active compared with the general population. Explanations include prejudice, overprotection, unawareness, stigma, fear of seizure induction and lack of knowledge of health professionals. At present, there is no consensus on the role of exercise in epilepsy.

Experience of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in the Canadian league against epilepsy: A survey describing current practices by neurologists and epileptologists.

Purpose: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are one of the most common differential diagnoses of epilepsy. Our objective is to describe current medical care in Canada and identify patterns of practice and service gaps.

Methods: In 2015, a 36-question survey was sent via email to the 131 members of the Canadian League Against Epilepsy.

New guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of neurocysticercosis: a difficult proposal for patients in endemic countries.

Recent guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment for neurocysticercosis (NC) from the Infectious Disease Society of America/American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene were developed to be used in the United States and Canada, where only a small fraction of NC cases occur. Areas covered: The paper discusses the strengths and weakness of the proposed guidelines. Expert commentary: Although these new guidelines bring much needed attention to a neglected parasitic disease, some of the recommendations made are based on insufficient and/or inadequate evidence.