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Carpio A, Salgado C, DiCapua D, Fleury A, Suastegui R, Giagante B, Aguilera L, Quijada A, Nuñez L, Villanueva M, Plascencia‐Alvarez N, Hamamoto Filho PT, Piedra LM, Silva‐Rosas C, Kelvin EA. Causes and prognosis of adults experiencing a first seizure in adulthood: A pilot cohort study conducted in five countries in Latin America. Epilepsia Open 2024; 9:776-784. [PMID: 38366910 PMCID: PMC10984322 DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
There are limited data on first seizure (FS) among adults in low and middle-income countries. We describe findings from a prospective cohort study involving 180 adults presenting with seizures in emergency departments in five Latin American countries. Overall, 102 participants (56.7%) had acute symptomatic seizures (ASyS) while 78 (43.3%) had unprovoked seizures (UPS). Among patients with ASyS, 55 (53.9%) had structural causes, with stroke (n = 24, 23.5%), tumor (n = 10, 9.8%), and trauma (n = 3, 3%) being the most frequent. Nineteen patients (18.6%) had infectious causes, including four (4%) with meningoencephalitis, three (3%) neurocysticercosis, and two (2%) bacterial meningoencephalitis. Twenty patients (19.6%) had metabolic/toxic evidence, including four (4%) with uremic encephalopathy, two (2%) hyponatremia, and three (3%) acute alcohol intoxication. Immune dysfunction was present in seven (7%) patients and neurodegenerative in two (2%). Among participants with UPS, 45 (57.7%) had unknown etiology, 24 (30.7%) had evidence of structural disorders (remote symptomatic), four (5%) were related to infectious etiology (>7 days before the seizure), and five (6.4%) had genetic causes. During the 3- and 6-month follow-up, 29.8% and 14% of patients with UPS, respectively, experienced seizure recurrence, while 23.9% and 24.5% of patients with ASyS had seizure recurrence. Longer follow-up is necessary to assess seizure recurrence for patients with ASyS after the acute cause is resolved and to determine the 10-year risk of recurrence, which is part of the definition of epilepsy. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: We monitored 180 adults who presented with their first seizure in emergency departments across five Latin American countries. Among these patients, 57% had acute symptomatic seizures, with structural causes such as stroke (23%), infection (17%), or tumor (10%) being more prevalent. Among the 43% with unprovoked seizures, 58% showed no identifiable acute cause, while 6.4% were due to genetics. Within 3 months after their initial seizure, 26.6% of individuals experienced a second seizure, with 11.9% continuing to have seizures in Months 3-6. Between Months 3 and 6, an additional 20% of patients encountered a second seizure. Research is needed to better understand the cause and prognosis of these patients to improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Carpio
- School of MedicineUniversity of CuencaCuencaEcuador
- Hospital Santa InésCuencaEcuador
| | - Carla Salgado
- Facultad de MedicinaUniversidad de AzuayCuencaEcuador
| | - Daniela DiCapua
- Hospital Eugenio EspejoMinisterio de Salud PúblicaQuitoEcuador
- Universidad San Francisco de QuitoQuitoEcuador
| | - Agnes Fleury
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología AmbientalInstituto de Investigación Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoCiudad de MexicoMexico
- Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugia deCiudad de MexicoMexico
| | - Roberto Suastegui
- Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugia deCiudad de MexicoMexico
| | - Brenda Giagante
- Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos Prof. Dr. Rodolfo Rossi de La PlataLa PlataArgentina
- Hospital de Alta Complejidad El Cruce “Néstor Kirchner”, ENyS, CONICETFlorencio VarelaArgentina
| | - Ledda Aguilera
- Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de ChileSantiago deChile
| | - Alonso Quijada
- Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de ChileSantiago deChile
| | - Lilia Nuñez
- Hospital 20 de NoviembreCiudad de MexicoMexico
| | - Manuela Villanueva
- Hospital de Alta Complejidad El Cruce “Néstor Kirchner”, ENyS, CONICETFlorencio VarelaArgentina
| | | | | | - Luis M. Piedra
- Hospital “José Carrasco” Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social de CuencaCuencaEcuador
| | | | - Elizabeth A. Kelvin
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health PolicyCity University of New YorkNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population HealthCity University of New YorkNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of Occupational HealthEpidemiology & Prevention Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University/Northwell HealthHempsteadNew YorkUSA
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Kovačević M, Sokić D, Ristić A, Berisavac I, Ercegovac M, Milićević O, Vojvodić N. Familial occurrence of seizure disorders across MRI defined structural focal epilepsy etiology. J Clin Neurosci 2024; 123:15-22. [PMID: 38508018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2024.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have established familial occurrence of epilepsy and seizure disorders and early age of epilepsy onset as predictors of genetic epilepsy, but have not evaluated the rate of their occurrence in patients with different epilepsy etiology. Our study determines the distribution of familial occurrence and age of epilepsy onset across structural focal epilepsy (FE) etiology in a large FE cohort. METHODS Records of 1354 consecutive patients evaluated for epilepsy and seizure disorders in The Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia from 2008 to 2019 were screened for FE. Structural etiology, lobar diagnosis, familial occurrence, and age at epilepsy onset were determined. Patients with a. nonlesional focal epilepsy (NLFE), b. hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and c. congenital or perinatal etiology (CPE) were classified as NAFE, while patients with an identified acquired focal epilepsy (AFE) constituted the control group. RESULTS We identified 965 patients with FE, 329 (34.1 %) with NLFE, 213 (22.1 %) with HS, 174 (18.0 %) with CPE and 249 (25.8 %) with AFE. Familial occurrence was identified in 160 (16.6 %), 19.1 % of patients with NAFE and 9.2 % of AFE (p = 0.003). Patients with NAFE had a younger age of epilepsy onset (13 vs. 18 years, p < 0.001). The highest proportion of familial occurrence was found in patients with NLFE (23.7 %), while the youngest median age of epilepsy onset was identified in patients with HS (12 years) and CPE (11 years). CONCLUSION Patients with NAFE frequently have familial occurrence of epilepsy and have an earlier age of epilepsy onset than patients with AFE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maša Kovačević
- Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, Serbia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Dragoslav Sokić
- Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, Serbia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Aleksandar Ristić
- Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, Serbia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivana Berisavac
- Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, Serbia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marko Ercegovac
- Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, Serbia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Nikola Vojvodić
- Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, Serbia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia
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Fan D, Qi L, Hou S, Wang Q, Baier G. The seizure classification of focal epilepsy based on the network motif analysis. Brain Res Bull 2024; 207:110879. [PMID: 38237873 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Due to the complexity of focal epilepsy and its risk for transiting to the generalized epilepsy, the development of reliable classification methods to accurately predict and classify focal and generalized seizures is critical for the clinical management of patients with epilepsy. In order to holistically understand the seizure propagation behavior of focal epilepsy, we propose a three-node motif reduced network by respectively simplifying the focal region, surrounding healthy region and their critical regions as the single node. Because three-node motif can richly characterize information evolutions, the motif analysis method could comprehensively investigate the seizure behavior of focal epilepsy. Firstly, we define a new seizure propagation marker value to capture the seizure onsets and intensity. Based on the three-node motif analysis, it is shown that the focal seizure and spreading can be categorized as inhibitory seizure, focal seizure, focal-critical seizure and generalized seizures, respectively. The four types of seizures correspond to specific modal types respectively, reflecting the strong correlation between seizure behavior and information flow evolution. In addition, it is found that the intensity difference of outflow and inflow information from the critical node (connection heterogeneity) and the excitability of the critical node significantly affected the distribution and transition of the four seizure types. In particular, the method of local linear stability analysis also verifies the effectiveness of four types of seizures classification. In sum, this paper computationally confirms the complex dynamic behavior of focal seizures, and the study of criticality is helpful to propose novel seizure control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denggui Fan
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Lixue Qi
- School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Songan Hou
- Department of Dynamics and Control, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Qingyun Wang
- Department of Dynamics and Control, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Gerold Baier
- Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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Structural Neuroimaging in Adults and Adolescents With Newly Diagnosed Focal Epilepsy: The Human Epilepsy Project. Neurology 2023; 101:635. [PMID: 36963843 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
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Pellinen J, Pardoe H, Sillau S, Barnard S, French J, Knowlton R, Lowenstein D, Cascino GD, Glynn S, Jackson G, Szaflarski J, Morrison C, Meador KJ, Kuzniecky R. Later onset focal epilepsy with roots in childhood: Evidence from early learning difficulty and brain volumes in the Human Epilepsy Project. Epilepsia 2023; 64:2761-2770. [PMID: 37517050 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Visual assessment of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from the Human Epilepsy Project 1 (HEP1) found 18% of participants had atrophic brain changes relative to age without known etiology. Here, we identify the underlying factors related to brain volume differences in people with focal epilepsy enrolled in HEP1. METHODS Enrollment data for participants with complete records and brain MRIs were analyzed, including 391 participants aged 12-60 years. HEP1 excluded developmental or cognitive delay with intelligence quotient <70, and participants reported any formal learning disability diagnoses, repeated grades, and remediation. Prediagnostic seizures were quantified by semiology, frequency, and duration. T1-weighted brain MRIs were analyzed using Sequence Adaptive Multimodal Segmentation (FreeSurfer v7.2), from which a brain tissue volume to intracranial volume ratio was derived and compared to clinically relevant participant characteristics. RESULTS Brain tissue volume changes observable on visual analyses were quantified, and a brain tissue volume to intracranial volume ratio was derived to compare with clinically relevant variables. Learning difficulties were associated with decreased brain tissue volume to intracranial volume, with a ratio reduction of .005 for each learning difficulty reported (95% confidence interval [CI] = -.007 to -.002, p = .0003). Each 10-year increase in age at MRI was associated with a ratio reduction of .006 (95% CI = -.007 to -.005, p < .0001). For male participants, the ratio was .011 less than for female participants (95% CI = -.014 to -.007, p < .0001). There were no effects from seizures, employment, education, seizure semiology, or temporal lobe electroencephalographic abnormalities. SIGNIFICANCE This study shows lower brain tissue volume to intracranial volume in people with newly treated focal epilepsy and learning difficulties, suggesting developmental factors are an important marker of brain pathology related to neuroanatomical changes in focal epilepsy. Like the general population, there were also independent associations between brain volume, age, and sex in the study population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Pellinen
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Heath Pardoe
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stefan Sillau
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Jacqueline French
- New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Robert Knowlton
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Daniel Lowenstein
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Simon Glynn
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Graeme Jackson
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Chris Morrison
- New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kimford J Meador
- Stanford University Neuroscience Health Center, Palo Alto, California, USA
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Englot DJ. Early MRI in Epilepsy: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Preventable Seizures. Epilepsy Curr 2023; 23:84-86. [PMID: 37122406 PMCID: PMC10131562 DOI: 10.1177/15357597221138509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural Neuroimaging in Adults and Adolescents With Newly Diagnosed Focal Epilepsy: The Human Epilepsy Project Bank AM, Kuzniecky R, Knowlton RC, Cascino GD, Jackson G, Pardoe HR; for the Human Epilepsy Project Investigators. Neurology . 2022. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000201125 . Online ahead of print. Background and objectives: Identification of an epileptogenic lesion on structural neuroimaging in individuals with focal epilepsy is important for management and treatment planning. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of MRI-identified potentially epileptogenic structural abnormalities in a large multicenter study of adolescent and adult patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy. Methods: Patients with a new diagnosis of focal epilepsy enrolled in the Human Epilepsy Project observational cohort study underwent 3-Tesla (3 T) brain MRI using a standardized protocol. Imaging findings were classified as normal, abnormal, or incidental. Abnormal findings were classified as focal or diffuse, and as likely epilepsy-related or of unknown relationship to epilepsy. Fisher exact tests were performed to determine whether abnormal imaging or abnormality type was associated with clinical characteristics. Results: 418 participants were enrolled. 218 participants (59.3%) had no abnormalities detected, 149 (35.6%) had abnormal imaging, and 21 (5.0%) had incidental findings. 78 participants (18.7%) had abnormalities that were considered epilepsy-related and 71 (17.0%) had abnormalities of unknown relationship to epilepsy. Older participants were more likely to have imaging abnormalities, while participants with focal and epilepsy-related imaging abnormalities were younger than those without these abnormalities. 131 participants (31.3%) had a family history of epilepsy. Epilepsy-related abnormalities were not associated with participant sex, family history of epilepsy, or seizure type. Discussion: We found that one in five patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy has an MRI finding that is likely causative and may alter treatment options. An additional one in five patients has abnormalities of unknown significance. This information is important for patient counseling, prognostication, and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario J Englot
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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Brain Imaging in Epilepsy-Focus on Diffusion-Weighted Imaging. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12112602. [PMID: 36359445 PMCID: PMC9689253 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12112602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder; 1% of people worldwide have epilepsy. Differentiating epileptic seizures from other acute neurological disorders in a clinical setting can be challenging. Approximately one-third of patients have drug-resistant epilepsy that is not well controlled by current antiepileptic drug therapy. Surgical treatment is potentially curative if the epileptogenic focus is accurately localized. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is an advanced magnetic resonance imaging technique that is sensitive to the diffusion of water molecules and provides additional information on the microstructure of tissue. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of peri-ictal, postictal, and interictal diffusion images can aid the differential diagnosis of seizures and seizure foci localization. This review focused on the fundamentals of DWI and its associated techniques, such as apparent diffusion coefficient, diffusion tensor imaging, and tractography, as well as their impact on epilepsy in terms of differential diagnosis, epileptic foci determination, and prognosis prediction.
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