Neuromodulation strategies that target the epileptogenic network are options for treating focal drug-resistant epilepsy. These brain stimulation approaches include responsive neurostimulation and more recently, chronic subthreshold stimulation. Long-term seizure freedom with neuromodulation is uncommon. Seizure control typically requires ongoing froms of electrical stimulation. Here, we present the case of a patient implanted with three cortical electrodes targeting the inferior frontal lobe, insula, and one subcortical electrode targeting the ipsilateral anterior thalamic nucleus. This patient received continuous subthreshold electrical stimulation to the frontal electrodes for 7 months, at which time stimulation was inadvertently stopped. He has now been free of seizures for 42 months. This case suggests the possibility that neuromodulation can alter epileptogenic networks and lead to seizure freedom without ongoing electrical stimulation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ebr.2020.100390 | DOI Listing |
Epilepsia
January 2025
Department of Epilepsy Genetics and Personalized Medicine, Danish Epilepsy Center, Dianalund, Denmark.
Objectives: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) caused by pathogenic variants in SCN8A are associated with difficult-to-treat and early-onset seizures, developmental delay/intellectual disability, impaired quality of life, and increased risk of early mortality. High doses of sodium channel blockers are typically used to treat SCN8A-DEE caused by gain-of-function (GoF) variants. However, seizures are often drug resistant, and only a few patients achieve seizure freedom.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neurol
December 2024
Brain and Development Research Axis, Azrieli CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Epileptic spasms (ES) are a unique seizure type typically presenting in the form of infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) with characteristic hypsarrhythmia on scalp EEG and a preponderance with developmental delay or regression. While pharmacotherapy is the mainstay of treatment, surgical options, including disconnective or resective procedures, are increasingly recognized as viable therapeutic options for recurrent or persistent ES. However, limited data on safety, effectiveness, and prognostic factors hinder informed decision-making regarding surgery indications, timing, and intervention type.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpilepsy Res
December 2024
Korea University, Guro Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Objective: FREEDOM (Study 342; NCT03201900) assessed the long-term treatment effect of perampanel monotherapy in adolescent and adult patients (12-74 years of age) with untreated focal-onset seizures (FOS), with or without focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS).
Methods: In the Core Study, after a 4-week Pretreatment Phase, perampanel was up-titrated to 4 mg/day during a 6-week Titration Period followed by a 26-week Maintenance Period. Patients experiencing seizure(s) during the 4-mg/day Maintenance Period could have perampanel up-titrated to 8 mg/day over 4 weeks then could enter the 26-week 8-mg/day Maintenance Period.
Diagnostics (Basel)
December 2024
Medical School, Universidad de las Américas (UDLA), Quito 170124, Ecuador.
The piriform cortex (PC) plays a pivotal role in the onset and propagation of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), making it a potential target for therapeutic interventions. This review delves into the anatomy and epileptogenic connections of the PC, highlighting its significance in seizure initiation and resistance to pharmacological treatments. Despite its importance, the PC remains underexplored in surgical approaches for TLE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpilepsia
January 2025
Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Objective: Epilepsy surgery outcomes tend to be judged by the percentage in seizure reduction without considering the effect on specific seizure types, particularly tonic-clonic seizures, which produce the greatest morbidity and mortality. We assess how often focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (BTCS) stop and how often they appear de novo after epilepsy surgery.
Methods: Analysis of a prospectively maintained epilepsy surgery database between 1986 and 2022 that characterizes the burden of BTCS after resective epilepsy surgery.
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