Unbalanced der(5)t(5;20) translocation associated with megalencephaly, perisylvian polymicrogyria, polydactyly and hydrocephalus.

The combination of megalencephaly, perisylvian polymicrogyria, polydactyly and hydrocephalus (MPPH) is a rare syndrome of unknown cause. We observed two first cousins affected by an MPPH-like phenotype with a submicroscopic chromosome 5q35 deletion as a result of an unbalanced der(5)t(5;20)(q35.2;q13.

Automatic detection of spike and wave discharges in the EEG of genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg.

Genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg are a strain of Wistar rats in which all animals exhibit spontaneous occurrences of spike and wave discharges (SWDs) in the EEG. In this paper, we propose a novel method for the detection of SWDs, based on the key observation that SWDs are quasi-periodic signals. The method consists of the following steps: 1) calculation of the spectrogram; 2) estimation of the background spectrum and detection of stimulation artifacts; 3) harmonic analysis with continuity analysis to estimate the fundamental frequency; and 4) classification based on the percentage of power in the harmonics to the total power of the spectrum.

Vagus nerve stimulation for refractory status epilepticus.

We report on the long-term follow-up of a patient with refractory non-convulsive SE who was successfully treated with VNS. A 7-year old girl with a medical history of thrombosis in the right internal cerebral vein and right thalamic bleeding 8 days after birth, developed epilepsy at the age of 13 months. At the age of 6 she presented with a refractory non-convulsive SE.

Serial day rapid kindling is an effective tool in screening the anti-epileptic properties of topiramate.

Introduction: In this study, a serial day rapid kindling protocol was used to fully kindle rats in a matter of days. Subsequently, the anticonvulsant profile of a relatively new anti-epileptic drug, topiramate, was evaluated in a cross-over design to further validate this rapid kindling model.

Methods: Rats were kindled during three consecutive days, according to the serial day rapid kindling protocol.

High frequency deep brain stimulation in the hippocampus modifies seizure characteristics in kindled rats.

Purpose: This experimental animal study evaluates the effect of high frequency deep brain stimulation (HFS DBS) on seizures in the Alternate Day Rapid Kindling model for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The target for HFS is the hippocampus, as this structure is often presumed to be the seizure focus in human TLE.

Methods: Rats (n = 12) were fully kindled in the hippocampus according to the Alternate Day Rapid Kindling protocol.

Neuromodulation with levetiracetam and vagus nerve stimulation in experimental animal models of epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder consisting of recurrent seizures, resulting from excessive, uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy treatment is successful in the majority of the cases; however; still one third of the epilepsy patients are refractory to treatment. Besides the ongoing research on the efficacy of antiepileptic treatments in suppressing seizures (anti-seizure effect), we want to seek for therapies that can lead to plastic, neuromodulatory changes in the epileptic network.