ACTH has beneficial effects on stuttering in ADHD and ASD patients with ESES: A retrospective study

Efficacy of ACTH therapy in children with Landau-Kleffner Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), both neurodevelopmental disorders, are frequently associated with epileptic seizures and characteristic epileptiform activity. Electrical Status Epilepticus during Sleep (ESES) is commonly observed in LKS, while Interictal Epileptiform Discharges (IEDs) are typical in ASD. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) treatment has demonstrated the potential to reduce the indexes of these related discharges and the number of seizures.

OBJECTIVE

This retrospective study aimed to assess the response to ACTH treatment in children diagnosed with LKS or ASD, both with and without epileptic seizures.

METHODS

The study included 236 children, with separate analyses performed for those diagnosed with LKS or ASD. EEG recordings and treatment outcomes were retrospectively evaluated. Key assessments included changes in the indexes of ESES and IED, seizure control rates, and reported side effects.

RESULTS

ACTH treatment led to significant improvements in indexes and seizure control in both LKS and ASD populations. In children with LKS and epileptic seizures, the mean ESES index reduction was 49.9 % (±17.7), with 50 % achieving complete seizure control. For children with ASD and epileptic seizures, the mean IED index reduction was 47.2 % (±16.7), with 41 % achieving complete seizure control. Rare side effects were transient and reversible, with no reports of serious adverse events.

CONCLUSION

ACTH treatment demonstrates efficacy in reducing ESES and IED indexes and controlling seizures in children with LKS and ASD. These findings underscore the importance of early intervention and careful management of side effects in optimizing outcomes for these patient populations.

Unmet needs in epileptic encephalopathy with spike-and-wave activation in sleep: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Developmental and/or epileptic encephalopathy with spike-and-wave activation in sleep (D/EE-SWAS), also referred to as electrical status epilepticus during sleep (ESES) or epileptic encephalopathy with continuous spike-and-wave during sleep (CSWS or EE-CSWS), is a spectrum of rare childhood epileptic encephalopathies that can lead to long-term cognitive impairment. Despite the importance of early diagnosis and intervention for D/EE-SWAS, there is a paucity of well-controlled clinical trial data to inform treatment, and no approved treatments are available. To assess correlations between diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes in D/EE-SWAS, we carried out a systematic review of the literature.

METHODS

In August 2020, we conducted comprehensive database searches using search terms including "electrical status epilepticus," "ESES," "CSWS," and "Landau-Kleffner syndrome." Two or more independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles for those that met the following criteria: prospective studies (randomized controlled trials [RCTs] or open-label trials), retrospective studies (drug evaluations or observational studies/chart reviews), and case series with ≥ 10 participants. Both interventional and non-interventional studies were included (i.e., drug intervention was not an inclusion criterion). Articles published before 2012, review articles, animal studies, and studies of surgical or dietary interventions were excluded. Standardized data extraction templates were used to capture data on study design, patient characteristics, interventions, and outcomes from each of the selected publications. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for RCTs and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) or the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for retrospective, observational studies.

RESULTS

A total of 34 studies were included for full data extraction, most of which were uncontrolled and observational. Interpretation of study outcomes was limited by small study populations, variability in inclusion criteria, and inconsistency in methods of assessment and reporting of outcomes, which resulted in large heterogeneity in patients and their presenting symptoms. Despite these limitations, some patterns could be discerned. Several studies found that longer duration of ESES and younger age at onset were correlated with more severe language and cognitive deficits. In addition, several studies reported an association between improvement in cognitive outcomes and reduction in electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities and/or seizure frequency. In the 16 prospective or retrospective studies that evaluated drug treatments (e.g., antiseizure medications, corticosteroids, and high-dose diazepam), there was some improvement in EEG, seizure, and/or cognitive outcomes, although the specific outcomes and rates of improvement reported varied from study to study.

CONCLUSION

Long-term cognitive deficits remain common in D/EE-SWAS, and data gaps exist in the literature that preclude an evidence-based approach to managing this complex epilepsy indication. Early intervention with more effective medications is needed to optimize long-term outcomes. Sufficiently powered, randomized, double-blind, controlled trials with standardized methods and predefined primary and secondary outcomes are needed.

Differential regulation of gene expression pathways with dexamethasone and ACTH after early life seizures

Early-life seizures (ELS) are associated with persistent cognitive deficits such as ADHD and memory impairment. These co-morbidities have a dramatic negative impact on the quality of life of patients. Therapies that improve cognitive outcomes have enormous potential to improve patients' quality of life. Our previous work in a rat flurothyl-induction model showed that administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) at time of seizure induction led to improved learning and memory in the animals despite no effect on seizure latency or duration. Administration of dexamethasone (Dex), a corticosteroid, did not have the same positive effect on learning and memory and has even been shown to exacerbate injury in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy. We hypothesized that ACTH exerted positive effects on cognitive outcomes through beneficial changes to gene expression and proposed that administration of ACTH at seizure induction would return gene-expression in the brain towards the normal pattern of expression in the Control animals whereas Dex would not. Twenty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into vehicle- Control, and ACTH-, Dex-, and vehicle- ELS. Rat pups were subjected to 60 flurothyl seizures from P5 to P14. After seizure induction, brains were removed and the hippocampus and PFC were dissected, RNA was extracted and sequenced, and differential expression analysis was performed using generalized estimating equations. Differential expression analysis showed that ACTH pushes gene expression in the brain back to a more normal state of expression through enrichment of pathways involved in supporting homeostatic balance and down-regulating pathways that might contribute to excitotoxic cell-damage post-ELS.

Treatment strategies for encephalopathy related to status epilepticus during slow sleep, a narrative review of the literature

Encephalopathy related to Status Epilepticus during slow Sleep (ESES) is an age-dependent syndrome characterized by the appearance of neuropsychological and behavioral disorders associated with extreme activation of epileptic activity during sleep. The major goal of therapy in ESES is to prevent neuropsychological deficits. Effective therapy to reduce seizures and resolve the EEG pattern of status epilepticus during sleep (SES) may be crucial to improve long-term prognosis. However, whether to improve neurodevelopmental deficits by suppressing or eliminating SES remains unknown. The purpose of this article is to review current therapeutic options in ESES, in order to provide better alternatives. Treatment options consist of antiepileptic drugs, steroids, immunoglobulins, the ketogenic diet, and surgery. Maybe therapy targeted mechanisms can be developed with deep insight into the etiology of ESES.

Sleep problems in children who stutter: Evidence from population data

Purpose Previous research has identified seizures, intellectual disability, learning disability, pervasive developmental disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as coexisting disabilities frequently seen in children who stutter (CWS). The observation that those conditions are affected by sleep has incited the present study, which aimed to explore if sleep problems are also more frequent in CWS. Method Data was obtained from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Children included in the analysis were those whose caregivers answered definitively whether or not the sample child stuttered in the last 12 months and whose caregivers definitively answered questions regarding insomnia or trouble sleeping, sleepiness during the day, and fatigue during the day in the last 12 months. This sample included 203 CWS and 10,005 children who do not stutter (CWNS). Results CWS were at greater odds of presenting insomnia or trouble sleeping (OR = 3.72, p < .001), sleepiness during the day (OR = 2.20, p < .001), and fatigue during the day (OR = 2.87, p < .001) when compared to CWNS. Moreover, CWS with coexisting disabilities were at greater odds of presenting with sleep problems when compared to CWS without coexisting disabilities. Finally, CWS without coexisting disabilities were at greater odds of presenting insomnia when compared to CWNS without coexisting disabilities. Conclusion CWS are at risk for presenting with sleep problems. Additionally, sleep problems persist from early childhood to adolescence. The implications of these findings are unclear, though future studies should look to explore the impact of sleep problems on stuttering.

Enkephalins and ACTH in the mammalian nervous system

The pentapeptides methionine-enkephalin and leucine-enkephalin belong to the opioid family of peptides, and the non-opiate peptide adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) to the melanocortin peptide family. Enkephalins/ACTH are derived from pro-enkephalin, pro-dynorphin or pro-opiomelanocortin precursors and, via opioid and melanocortin receptors, are responsible for many biological activities. Enkephalins exhibit the highest affinity for the δ receptor, followed by the μ and κ receptors, whereas ACTH binds to the five subtypes of melanocortin receptor, and is the only member of the melanocortin family of peptides that binds to the melanocortin-receptor 2 (ACTH receptor). Enkephalins/ACTH and their receptors exhibit a widespread anatomical distribution. Enkephalins are involved in analgesia, angiogenesis, blood pressure, embryonic development, emotional behavior, feeding, hypoxia, limbic system modulation, neuroprotection, peristalsis, and wound repair; as well as in hepatoprotective, motor, neuroendocrine and respiratory mechanisms. ACTH plays a role in acetylcholine release, aggressive behavior, blood pressure, bone maintenance, hyperalgesia, feeding, fever, grooming, learning, lipolysis, memory, nerve injury repair, neuroprotection, sexual behavior, sleep, social behavior, tissue growth and stimulates the synthesis and secretion of glucocorticoids. Enkephalins/ACTH are also involved in many pathologies. Enkephalins are implicated in alcoholism, cancer, colitis, depression, heart failure, Huntington's disease, influenza A virus infection, ischemia, multiple sclerosis, and stress. ACTH plays a role in Addison's disease, alcoholism, cancer, Cushing's disease, dermatitis, encephalitis, epilepsy, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, podocytopathies, and stress. In this review, we provide an updated description of the enkephalinergic and ACTH systems.

Language and behavioral outcomes of treatment with pulse-dose prednisone for electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES)

Few studies have examined treatment response in electrical status epilepticus in sleep (ESES), and fewer still have evaluated the effect of corticosteroid treatment employing a pulse-dose regimen. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of pulse-dose prednisone in treating language and behavioral disturbances that often accompany ESES. The sample included 17 patients age 5 to 10 years at time of baseline electroencephalogram (EEG) and neuropsychological assessments. For all patients, focal, multifocal, or generalized spike and wave activity occupied greater than 50% of the nonrapid eye movement (REM) sleep record. Patients were seen for follow-up EEG recording and neuropsychological testing with an average of 10 months following initiation of pulse-dose prednisone. Improvement in language or behavior was examined in relation to resolution of ESES on EEG, age at seizure onset and treatment, duration of ESES, duration of treatment, lesional versus nonlesional epilepsy, history of language or behavioral regression, seizure control at follow-up, and intelligence quotient (IQ). With the exception of a greater likelihood of patients with low IQ to demonstrate improvement in language or behavior, improvement was seen in most patients, irrespective of ESES or other factors.