How does COVID-19 vaccination affect long-COVID symptoms?

Objective: The current study aimed to identify the association between COVID-19 vaccination and prolonged post-COVID symptoms (long-COVID) in adults who reported suffering from this condition.

Methods: This was a retrospective follow-up study of adults with long-COVID syndrome. The data were collected during a phone call to the participants in January-February 2022.

Health and Healthcare Disparities in Pediatric Epilepsy in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Objectives: Health disparities impact epilepsy care in children. Previous efforts to summarize data in this population have been limited. This study sought to understand how this information exists in the literature and identify gaps in knowledge.

Similar brain proteomic signatures in Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.

The prevalence of epilepsy is increased among Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients and cognitive impairment is common among people with epilepsy. Epilepsy and AD are linked but the shared pathophysiological changes remain poorly defined. We aim to identify protein differences associated with epilepsy and AD using published proteomics datasets.

Brain expression profiles of two antisense RNAs in children and adolescents with epilepsy.

Objective: Heterozygous mutations within the voltage-gated sodium channel α subunit () are responsible for the majority of cases of Dravet syndrome (DS), a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. Development of novel therapeutic approaches is mandatory in order to directly target the molecular consequences of the genetic defect. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether cis-acting long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) of are expressed in brain specimens of children and adolescent with epilepsy as these molecules comprise possible targets for precision-based therapy approaches.

Historical roots of the stigma of epilepsy: A review of the classic Iranian literature.

Background: The stigma toward epilepsy is a daily challenge for people with epilepsy (PWE) and can influence the well-being and prognosis of these individuals. However, the cultural origins of such stigma have sparsely been examined. In this study, we aimed to investigate the classic Persian literature to gain insight into the historical and cultural beliefs and opinions regarding epilepsy as a determinant in developing stigma towards PWE.

Proposed mechanisms of tau: relationships to traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and epilepsy.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and epilepsy share proposed mechanisms of injury, including neuronal excitotoxicity, cascade signaling, and activation of protein biomarkers such as tau. Although tau is typically present intracellularly, in tauopathies, phosphorylated (p-) and hyper-phosphorylated (hp-) tau are released extracellularly, the latter leading to decreased neuronal stability and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Tau cleavage at particular sites increases susceptibility to hyper-phosphorylation, NFT formation, and eventual cell death.

Specific afterdischarge properties can enhance the clinical utility of electrical stimulation mapping during intracranial monitoring.

Objective: Extraoperative electrical cortical stimulation (ECS) facilitates defining the seizure onset zone (SOZ) and eloquent cortex. The clinical relevance of stimulation-induced afterdischarges (ADs) is not well defined.

Methods: Fifty-five patients who underwent intracranial electroencephalogram evaluations with ECS were retrospectively identified.

Gut microbiome diversity in a febrile seizure mouse model.

Purpose: Febrile seizures at a young age can provoke late-onset temporal lobe epilepsy. Since recent evidence has suggested that the gut microbiome affects central nervous system pathology across the blood-brain barrier, we hypothesized that febrile seizures alter the composition of the gut microbiome to provoke epilepsy.

Methods: Third-generation C57BL/6 mice were separated into two groups (n = 5 each), and hot air was applied to only one group to cause febrile seizures.

Lateralized Rhythmic Delta Activity and Lateralized Periodic Discharges in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical and electrographic characteristics of critically ill pediatric patients with lateralized rhythmic delta activity (LRDA) and compare them with patients with lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs).

Methods: This was a retrospective study examining consecutive critically ill pediatric patients (1 month-18 years) with LRDA or LPDs monitored on continuous electroencephalography. Clinical, radiologic, and electrographic characteristics; disease severity; and acute sequelae were compared between the two groups.

Video Analyses of Sudden Unexplained Deaths in Toddlers.

Background And Objectives: More than 2,900 US children aged younger than 4 years die from unknown causes each year, accounting for more than 219,000 life years lost annually. They are mostly sleep-related and unwitnessed with unremarkable autopsies, limiting our understanding of death mechanisms. We sought to understand potential mechanisms of death by evaluating videos of sudden deaths in toddlers.

Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy: Misunderstandings, Challenges, and Opportunities.

The idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE) make up a fifth of all epilepsies, but <1% of epilepsy research. This skew reflects misperceptions: diagnosis is straightforward, pathophysiology is understood, seizures are easily controlled, epilepsy is outgrown, morbidity and mortality are low, and surgical interventions are impossible. Emerging evidence reveals that patients with IGE may go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with focal epilepsy if EEG or semiology have asymmetric or focal features.

Coexistence of temporal lobe epilepsy and idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

Objective: We investigated the frequency of coexistence of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) in a retrospective database study. We also explored the underlying pathomechanisms of the coexistence of TLE and IGE based on the available information, using bioinformatics tools.

Methods: The first phase of the investigation was a retrospective study.

The burden of epilepsy in the People's Republic of China from 1990 to 2019: epidemiological trends and comparison with the global burden of epilepsy.

Background: Epilepsy is associated with a significant global burden of disease, affecting over 50 million people worldwide. The specific aim of this study is to compare the burden of epilepsy in the People's Republic of China (PRC) with the global burden, and to analyze the epidemiological trends of epilepsy, the relationship between the burden of epilepsy and social demographic index (SDI), and the relative contributions of epidemiological factors.

Methods: This is a retrospective population-based study, data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study in 2019.

Disentanglement of Resting State Brain Networks for Localizing Epileptogenic Zone in Focal Epilepsy.

The objective of this study is to extract pathological brain networks from interictal period of E/MEG recordings to localize epileptic foci for presurgical evaluation. We proposed here a resting state E/MEG analysis framework, to disentangle brain functional networks represented by neural oscillations. By using an Embedded Hidden Markov Model, we constructed a state space for resting state recordings consisting of brain states with different spatiotemporal patterns.

Predictive model for epileptogenic tubers from all tubers in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex based on F-FDG PET: an 8-year single-centre study.

Background: More than half of patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), and resection surgery is the most effective way to control intractable epilepsy. Precise preoperative localization of epileptogenic tubers among all cortical tubers determines the surgical outcomes and patient prognosis. Models for preoperatively predicting epileptogenic tubers using F-FDG PET images are still lacking, however.

Antiseizure Effects of L. and .

L. and are two traditional herbs with probable antiseizure effects. This study evaluated the effects of these two herbal extracts on pentylenetetrazol- (PTZ-) induced seizures in mice.

Epilepsy monitoring unit practices and safety among NAEC epilepsy centers: A census survey.

Objective: An epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) is a specialized unit designed for capturing and characterizing seizures and other paroxysmal events with continuous video electroencephalography (vEEG). Nearly 260 epilepsy centers in the United States are accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) based on adherence to specific clinical standards to improve epilepsy care, safety, and quality. This study examines EMU staffing, safety practices, and reported outcomes.

Topiramate dosage optimization for effective antiseizure management via population pharmacokinetic modeling.

Objective: Despite the suggested topiramate serum level of 5-20 mg/L, numerous institutions have observed substantial drug response at lower levels. We aim to investigate the correlation between topiramate serum levels, drug responsiveness, and adverse events to establish a more accurate and tailored therapeutic range.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data collected between January 2017 and January 2022 at Seoul National University Hospital.

Prediction tools and risk stratification in epilepsy surgery.

Objective: This study was undertaken to conduct external validation of previously published epilepsy surgery prediction tools using a large independent multicenter dataset and to assess whether these tools can stratify patients for being operated on and for becoming free of disabling seizures (International League Against Epilepsy stage 1 and 2).

Methods: We analyzed a dataset of 1562 patients, not used for tool development. We applied two scales: Epilepsy Surgery Grading Scale (ESGS) and Seizure Freedom Score (SFS); and two versions of Epilepsy Surgery Nomogram (ESN): the original version and the modified version, which included electroencephalographic data.

Challenging Cortical Explorations in Difficult-to-Localize Seizures: The Rationale and Usefulness of Perisylvian Paralimbic Explorations With Orthogonal Stereoelectroencephalography Depth Electrodes.

Background And Objective: Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is an invasive monitoring method designed to define and localize the epileptogenic zone (EZ) and explore the putative network responsible for the electroclinical seizures using anatomo-functional-electroclinical correlations. When indicated by semiology in selected patients, exploration of both limbic and paralimbic (PL) regions is indispensable. However, the PL cortex is located in deep and highly vascularized areas in proximity to the anterior Sylvian fissure and middle cerebral artery branches.