Automated Identification of Surgical Candidates and Estimation of Postoperative Seizure Freedom in Children - A Focused Review

Virus-Induced Epilepsy vs. Epilepsy Patients Acquiring Viral Infection: Unravelling the Complex Relationship for Precision Treatment

The intricate relationship between viruses and epilepsy involves a bidirectional interaction. Certain viruses can induce epilepsy by infecting the brain, leading to inflammation, damage, or abnormal electrical activity. Conversely, epilepsy patients may be more susceptible to viral infections due to factors, such as compromised immune systems, anticonvulsant drugs, or surgical interventions. Neuroinflammation, a common factor in both scenarios, exhibits onset, duration, intensity, and consequence variations. It can modulate epileptogenesis, increase seizure susceptibility, and impact anticonvulsant drug pharmacokinetics, immune system function, and brain physiology. Viral infections significantly impact the clinical management of epilepsy patients, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach encompassing diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of both conditions. We delved into the dual dynamics of viruses inducing epilepsy and epilepsy patients acquiring viruses, examining the unique features of each case. For virus-induced epilepsy, we specify virus types, elucidate mechanisms of epilepsy induction, emphasize neuroinflammation's impact, and analyze its effects on anticonvulsant drug pharmacokinetics. Conversely, in epilepsy patients acquiring viruses, we detail the acquired virus, its interaction with existing epilepsy, neuroinflammation effects, and changes in anticonvulsant drug pharmacokinetics. Understanding this interplay advances precision therapies for epilepsy during viral infections, providing mechanistic insights, identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets, and supporting optimized dosing regimens. However, further studies are crucial to validate tools, discover new biomarkers and therapeutic targets, and evaluate targeted therapy safety and efficacy in diverse epilepsy and viral infection scenarios.

Connectome-based approaches in pediatric epilepsy surgery: "State-of-the art" and future perspectives

Modern epilepsy science has overcome the traditional interpretation of a strict region-specific origin of epilepsy, highlighting the involvement of wider patterns of altered neuronal circuits. In selected cases, surgery may constitute a valuable option to achieve both seizure freedom and neurocognitive improvement. Although epilepsy is now considered as a brain network disease, the most relevant literature concerning the "connectome-based" epilepsy surgery mainly refers to adults, with a limited number of studies dedicated to the pediatric population. In this review, the Authors summarized the main current available knowledge on the relevance of WM surgical anatomy in epilepsy surgery, the post-surgical modifications of brain structural connectivity and the related clinical impact of such modifications within the pediatric context. In the last part, possible implications and future perspectives of this approach have been discussed, especially concerning the optimization of surgical strategies and the predictive value of the epilepsy network analysis for planning tailored approaches, with the final aim of improving case selection, presurgical planning, intraoperative management, and postoperative results.

Recent developments in stereo electroencephalography monitoring for epilepsy surgery

Recently the utilization of the stereo electroencephalography (SEEG) method has exploded globally. It is now the preferred method of intracranial monitoring for epilepsy. Since its inception, the basic tenet of the SEEG method remains the same: strategic implantation of intracerebral electrodes based on a hypothesis grounded on anatomo-electroclinical correlation, interpretation of interictal and ictal abnormalities, and formation of a surgical plan based on these data. However, there are recent advancements in all these domains-electrodes implantations, data interpretation, and therapeutic strategy- that can make the SEEG a more accessible and effective approach. In this narrative review, these newer developments are discussed and summarized. Regarding implantation, efficient commercial robotic systems are now increasingly available, which are also more accurate in implanting electrodes. In terms of ictal and interictal abnormalities, newer studies focused on correlating these abnormalities with pathological substrates and surgical outcomes and analyzing high-frequency oscillations and cortical-subcortical connectivity. These abnormalities can now be further quantified using advanced tools (spectrum, spatiotemporal, connectivity analysis, and machine learning algorithms) for objective and efficient interpretation. Another aspect of recent development is renewed interest in SEEG-based electrical stimulation mapping (ESM). The SEEG-ESM has been used in defining epileptogenic networks, mapping eloquent cortex (primarily language), and analyzing cortico-cortical evoked potential. Regarding SEEG-guided direct therapeutic strategy, several clinical studies evaluated the use of radiofrequency thermocoagulation. As the emerging SEEG-based diagnosis and therapeutics are better evolved, treatments aimed at specific epileptogenic networks without compromising the eloquent cortex will become more easily accessible to improve the lives of individuals with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE).

The role of implementation science in improving epilepsy surgery utilization

Randomized controlled studies demonstrated that patients with intractable epilepsy could benefit significantly more from epilepsy surgery than from continuing medical therapy. Unfortunately, robust efforts over the last few decades, including the formation and dissemination of guidelines and practice parameters, did not improve the utilization of epilepsy surgery. Epilepsy surgery remains one of the most underutilized evidence-based interventions in modern medicine. A new scientific study of methods has emerged to improve uptake of evidence-based practices, named implementation science (IS). Despite its tremendous rise in popularity in various domains, its usage to mitigate epilepsy surgery underutilization is very limited. In fact, the application of principles and methods of IS are somewhat restricted in the entire neuroscience field, where quality improvement (QI) efforts primarily drive the provision of high-quality health care. Although both QI efforts and IS have a similar goal of improving healthcare quality, they differ significantly in associated terminologies, concepts, and approaches. For implementing high-quality, evidence-based practices in routine clinical settings, we need a better understanding of IS methods and closer integration between QI and IS fields. Recognizing a dearth of awareness of IS in the neuroscience community, the first part of the review addresses the fundamentals of IS, focusing on multifaceted implementation strategies that neurologists can apply in their clinical practice. In the second part of the review, an entire illustrative case is presented to familiarize neurologists with the practical application of diverse implementation strategies to mitigate the underutilization of epilepsy surgery.