Epilepsy News

Pronounced Nonlinear Traits at Epileptic Seizure Onset and Offset - Abrupt qualitative changes of the dynamics of complex systems that consist of a large number of dynamical units like the human brain are governed by nonlinear processes. A typical example of such a phenomenon is the peri-ictal transition of focal onset seizures. However, the reliable extraction of nonlinear features from short data segments is a highly nontrivial task. We apply a recently intro...

Multi-glial inhibitory plasticity in epilepsy and sleep: implications for post-traumatic epileptogenesis - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of acquired epilepsy, and the latent period before the first spontaneous seizure offers a window for anti-epileptogenic intervention. Glial cells are active participants in the pathophysiology of epilepsy and play a role beyond the classical supportive roles and in the control of inhibitory networks. Cumulatively, astrocytes, microglia and oligode...

Sleep dynamics and epileptogenesis following Kainic acid in epilepsy-susceptible (DBA/2 J) and epilepsy-resistant (C57BL/6) mice - Susceptibility to epileptogenesis varies in humans and mouse strains. We hypothesized that baseline sleep abnormalities increase susceptibility to epileptogenesis following Kainic acid (KA) and that abnormalities in diurnal rhythm or sleep homeostasis (SH) contribute to worse seizure outcomes. Following EEG electrode implantation, C57 and DBA mice underwent repeated low-dose KA or saline treatm...

Ketogenic diet attenuates seizures by promoting lipid droplet formation via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma signaling pathway - CONCLUSION: The ketogenic diet exerts antiseizure effects that may be related to activation of the PPARγ pathway, which upregulates Plin1 to promote lipid droplet formation in hippocampal neurons. This sequestration of fatty acids represents a novel mechanism for reducing neuronal excitability in chronic epilepsy.

Robust time delay estimation for measurement of ictal EEG traveling waves - Seizures are often characterized by epileptiform discharges that appear to be highly synchronous across EEG channels, yet closer analysis reveals small time delays indicative of fast traveling waves. Microelectrode studies suggest that a possible source of these waves is the ictal wavefront, a slowly advancing boundary emitting opposing waves; attempts to extend this analysis to macroelectrodes...

Delay in benzodiazepine administration is associated with increased need for anesthetic coma therapy in children with febrile status epilepticus - CONCLUSIONS: Delayed BZD administration may be associated with an increased likelihood of requiring intensive neurocritical care, including ACT, among children with FSE.

Brain signal irregularity may provide clues to understanding epileptic process - Researchers propose a new method to differentiate signals from the epileptic focus from those recorded in other parts of the brain without the presence of an epileptic seizure. This technique may help detect epilepsy-induced features from these signals much quicker than conventional analysis techniques.

Breakthrough tech enables seizure localization in minutes - New research introduces a novel network analysis technology that uses minimally invasive resting state electrophysiological recordings to localize seizure onset brain regions and predict seizure outcomes in just 10 minutes.

Antidepressant use during pregnancy not linked to epilepsy in children - A new study suggests that antidepressant use by mothers during the first trimester of pregnancy does not increase the chances of epilepsy and seizures in babies.