EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-08-02DOI: 10.1111/epi.18584
Francesco Fortunato, Francesco D'Amico, Anny Votano, Ilaria Sammarra, Michele Trimboli, Medine I Gulcebi, James D Mills, Simona Balestrini, Sanjay M Sisodiya, Antonio Gambardella
{"title":"Climate change and hyponatremia-related hospital admissions in people with focal epilepsy exposed to carbamazepine or its derivatives.","authors":"Francesco Fortunato, Francesco D'Amico, Anny Votano, Ilaria Sammarra, Michele Trimboli, Medine I Gulcebi, James D Mills, Simona Balestrini, Sanjay M Sisodiya, Antonio Gambardella","doi":"10.1111/epi.18584","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18584","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To estimate the proportion of individuals with focal epilepsy treated with at least one among carbamazepine (CBZ), oxcarbazepine (OXC), or eslicarbazepine (ESL), who were hospitalized due to hyponatremia-related symptoms in 2024, and to test the hypothesis that there is an association with climatic variables.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We undertook a prospective study in which people with focal epilepsy treated with at least one of the target drugs and at least one attendance in 2024 formed the study cohort. Individuals who were admitted or seen as outpatients for hyponatremia in 2024 were considered cases and the rest considered controls. Climate analysis was performed in Lamezia Terme, Calabria, Italy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seventeen of the entire cohort of 105 (16.2%) had hyponatremia-related hospitalizations. Older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-1.12; p = .001) and exposure to OXC/ESL compared to CBZ (OR = 4.15, 95% CI = 1.20-14.32; p = .02) emerged as significant predictors of the events. Thirteen of the 17 cases (76.5%) currently reside on the Calabria coastline. Twelve of 17 events (70.6%) occurred between June and August. Among climatic variables, heatwaves (OR = 4.87, 95% CI = 1.75-13.50; p = .002) and tropical nights (night-temperature ≥20°C) (OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.02-7.27; p = .046) were the most significant predictors of the events. Forecasting models based on 10 consecutive days of recordings prior to the events revealed trends of rising temperatures preceding the events.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>We report a high rate of hyponatremia-related hospitalizations among people with epilepsy occurring predominantly during summer. Climate change-related events, such as heatwaves and tropical nights, may trigger hyponatremia symptoms. Climate-regional vulnerability should therefore also be considered when selecting antiseizure medications and when counseling patients. We encourage interdisciplinary collaboration between clinicians and climate scientists in this emerging critical area.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144768522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1111/epi.18579
Hyunmi Choi, Brenna Stepan, Rya Clifton, W T Longstreth, Mitchell S V Elkind, Jose Gutierrez, Evan L Thacker
{"title":"Association of epilepsy with trajectory of depressive symptoms in late life: The Cardiovascular Health Study.","authors":"Hyunmi Choi, Brenna Stepan, Rya Clifton, W T Longstreth, Mitchell S V Elkind, Jose Gutierrez, Evan L Thacker","doi":"10.1111/epi.18579","DOIUrl":"10.1111/epi.18579","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Although depression is one of the most common psychiatric comorbidities among individuals with epilepsy, data specific to older adults with epilepsy are scarce. We examined the trajectory of depressive symptom scores in older adults with and without epilepsy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The Cardiovascular Health Study is a population-based longitudinal cohort of U.S. adults 65 years of age or older. Depression scores were measured annually using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) for up to 9 years of follow-up. We used a linear mixed model to estimate mean CESD-10 scores and percent with depression (CESD-10 score ≥10) over time by epilepsy status, adjusted for demographics, health behaviors, clinical characteristics, and measures of life satisfaction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>CESD-10 scores increased at a significantly faster rate over 9 years among older adults with epilepsy (n = 190; 2.8 points) compared to those without epilepsy (n = 5264; 1.8 points; p = 0.005), adjusted for the covariates specified above. The proportion of those who met the threshold for depression also increased at a significantly faster rate among older adults with epilepsy compared to those without epilepsy. The proportion with depression increased by 19.8 cases per 100 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.9-26.6) in older adults with epilepsy, compared to an increase of 10.2 cases per 100 (95% CI: 9.0-11.4) in those without epilepsy (a difference in the increase of 9.6 additional cases per 100 [95% CI: 2.7-16.5]; p = 0.007), adjusted for covariates. The association of epilepsy with CESD-10 score trajectory did not differ by sex.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>Older adults with epilepsy experience worse depressive symptom trajectories over time compared to older adults without epilepsy, with one in five individuals experiencing depression over 9 years. These findings highlight the need for systematic and repeated screening of depression in older adults with epilepsy.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144759506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1111/epi.18568
Yitao Lu, Yi Ge, Ruyi Wang, Yang Zheng, Jiping Zhou, Zhongjin Wang, Chunhong Shen, Shan Wang, Lingli Hu, Bo Wang, Zhidong Cen, Wei Luo, Meiping Ding, Shuang Wang, Yao Ding
{"title":"Familial adult myoclonus epilepsy: A comprehensive diagnostic strategy for clinical practice.","authors":"Yitao Lu, Yi Ge, Ruyi Wang, Yang Zheng, Jiping Zhou, Zhongjin Wang, Chunhong Shen, Shan Wang, Lingli Hu, Bo Wang, Zhidong Cen, Wei Luo, Meiping Ding, Shuang Wang, Yao Ding","doi":"10.1111/epi.18568","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18568","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Familial adult myoclonus epilepsy (FAME) is a genetic neurological disorder characterized by cortical myoclonus and epileptic seizures with clinical features that overlap with other movement disorders and epileptic syndromes, particularly essential tremor (ET), progressive myoclonic epilepsy (PME), and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). The key clinical manifestations include an autosomal dominant family history, tremorlike cortical myoclonus, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, photosensitivity, mild cognitive impairment, and other associated symptoms. Electrophysiological examinations are essential in demonstrating cortical hyperexcitability and confirming the cortical origin of myoclonus. Neuroimaging studies typically show mild cerebellar atrophy or nonspecific structural changes on magnetic resonance imaging. Notably, photosensitivity is confirmed by clinical, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging evidence, highlighting its significant yet underestimated role in the underlying etiology of FAME. Genetic analysis, particularly long-read genome sequencing, is recognized as the gold standard for definitive diagnosis. We propose an integrated and clinically oriented diagnostic approach for FAME, including clinical assessment, electrophysiological tests, neuroimaging studies, and genetic analysis. The differential diagnosis of FAME, ET, PME, and JME is also thoroughly discussed. Antiseizure medications are the cornerstone of FAME treatment, with a combination of valproate or levetiracetam with benzodiazepines serving as the first-line therapy. A detailed review and a well-established diagnostic workflow for FAME can enhance the understanding of FAME; the identification of specific biomarkers for FAME requires further investigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144759472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-07-31DOI: 10.1111/epi.18563
Wolfgang Löscher, Janet S Soul
{"title":"Topiramate for the treatment of neonatal seizures and beyond.","authors":"Wolfgang Löscher, Janet S Soul","doi":"10.1111/epi.18563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18563","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acute symptomatic neonatal seizures are one of the most common neurological disorders in newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units and require prompt treatment. Up to 50% of neonatal seizures are refractory to first-line medications such as phenobarbital (PB), and another 30% fail second-line therapy. Furthermore, antiseizure medications (ASMs) such as PB have short-term adverse effects and may exert long-term detrimental effects on neurodevelopment. Thus, the development of more effective and safer ASMs is an urgent medical need. Because of its multimodal mechanisms of action and neuroprotective activity as well as promising preclinical and clinical findings, topiramate (TPM) is currently among the most attractive ASMs for the treatment of PB-refractory neonatal seizures. However, parenteral TPM is not clinically available, which restricts its use in most newborns with acute seizures. In this review, we critically discuss the current knowledge about TPM as a treatment for neonatal seizures and associated conditions. We describe both preclinical and clinical data and highlight that the neuroprotective activity of this drug, not shared by most other ASMs, may enhance the efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia to decrease adverse neurodevelopment after neonatal brain injury. In addition, we describe two novel intravenous formulations of TPM currently being developed for clinical use. One formulation uses the highly tolerable U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved excipient meglumine for the preparation of an aqueous TPM solution, so is particularly suitable for neonates. We recommend prospective randomized controlled clinical trials designed to test the safety and efficacy of intravenous TPM for neonatal seizures. TPM doses in such trials should be based on the maintenance of effective plasma levels not achieved in most previous clinical studies with enteral administration of TPM suspensions. Furthermore, the potentially beneficial neuroprotective effects of TPM on adverse outcomes associated with neonatal seizures and their etiologies should be examined in such trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144752715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-07-31DOI: 10.1111/epi.18589
Bruce P Hermann, Aaron F Struck, Qirui Zhang, Sam S Javidi, Joseph I Tracy
{"title":"Untangling the tangled relationship between cognitive and psychological comorbidities in epilepsy: Bidirectionality and mediation.","authors":"Bruce P Hermann, Aaron F Struck, Qirui Zhang, Sam S Javidi, Joseph I Tracy","doi":"10.1111/epi.18589","DOIUrl":"10.1111/epi.18589","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Cognitive and psychological abnormalities are known to be frequently occurring complications of the epilepsies, but their patterns of co-occurrence, directions of effect, underlying mechanism(s), and causal pathways remain uncertain. The intent of this investigation was to advance understanding of these issues in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 121 patients with TLE were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, and symptoms of diverse psychological syndromes were assessed with a standardized psychological inventory. The cognitive and psychological data were reduced by factor analysis (FA) to broad- and narrowband indicators that were then examined by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to inform the presence, strength, direction, and mediators of cognitive-psychological relationships.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>FA identified overarching metrics of cognition (g) and psychopathology (p) as well as their correlation and underlying factors wherein g contained three indicators (language/memory, perceptual/nonverbal reasoning, information/processing speed) and p contained two indicators (externalizing, internalizing). PLS-SEM demonstrated direct, bidirectional associations between internalizing psychopathology and language/memory, indicating these factors express a strong interdependency. Mediation modeling showed an index of functional brain reserve served to explain this selective, shared influence, as well the relationship between the broader concepts of p and g, indicating origin in a common psychological/cognitive mechanism.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>Neuropsychological and psychological comorbidities of TLE are represented by both broadband and narrowband indicators of clinical and theoretical relevance. These indicators exhibit multidimensionality, multimorbidity, and bidirectionality that point to a shared neurobiological core best expressed and explained by the mediating influence of brain functional reserve.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144752716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-07-30DOI: 10.1111/epi.18557
Edgar Matringe, Aya Khalaf, Romain Granchamp, Juan R Vidal, Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti, Hal Blumenfeld, Laurent Vercueil
{"title":"Distinct spike-and-wave EEG profiles reveal susceptibility to fleeting/almost loss of consciousness (so-called blips) in generalized epilepsy.","authors":"Edgar Matringe, Aya Khalaf, Romain Granchamp, Juan R Vidal, Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti, Hal Blumenfeld, Laurent Vercueil","doi":"10.1111/epi.18557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18557","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To characterize electroencephalographic (EEG) profiles of short spike-and-wave bursts (SWBs) in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy reporting sensations of fleeting/almost loss of consciousness, described as \"a blip on the screen\"-a phenomenon first termed \"blips\" by J.W. Lance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Among 176 consecutive patients, 19 were included based on a diagnosis of idiopathic generalized epilepsy and the presence of SWBs on EEG recordings. Patients were classified as \"blippers\" (yes) or \"non-blippers\" (no) based on their response to whether they had ever experienced \"blip\"-like sensations. A total of 624 SWBs extracted from EEG traces were compared between groups. The analysis focused on the spike (10-125 Hz) and wave (2.5-4 Hz) frequency band components across predefined spatial regions of interests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>SWBs were significantly longer in blippers than in non-blippers (median: 1.2 s, interquartile range [IQR]: (Q1-Q3): 753-1796 vs 0.9 s, 599-1541; p < .001, r = .14). EEG analyses revealed two distinct spatial profiles, with higher fractional change in wave amplitude over anterior frontal (39.73, 12.56-81.27 vs 17.34, 5.18-56.95; p < .01, r = .13), frontal (46.94, 20.55-100.28 vs 31.08, 9.51-88.81; p < .05, r = .10), and occipital (25.25, 11.51-50.97 vs 14.99, 4.94-43.80; p < .01, r = .13) regions, but not parietal (p > .05). Similarly, spikes showed increased amplitude in anterior frontal (5.32, 2.50-15.27 vs 4.20, 2.58-7.60; p < .05, r = .09) and central (3.95, 2.81-6.20 vs 3.07, 1.82-5.08; p < .01, r = .14) regions, with lower occipital power in blippers (1.93, 1.36-3.19 vs 2.53, 1.52-4.33; p < .05, r = -.10). Overall, spike and wave amplitudes were higher in blippers, particularly at SWB onset. All p-values were false discover rate (FDR)-corrected and analyses were conducted at the SWB level.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>Distinct EEG profiles of SWBs may be associated with self-reported blip experiences.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144741674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-07-30DOI: 10.1111/epi.18586
Víctor Soto-Insuga, Adrián Valls Carbó, Anna Gretel Pinzón-Acevedo, Elena González-Alguacil, Juan José García Peñas, Andrea Sariego Jamardo, Gemma Aznar-Laín, Salvador Ibáñez-Micó, Helena Alarcón Martínez, Raquel Buenache, Saray Rekarte, Andrea Parejo Olivera, Ezequiel Tuero-Montiel, Jana DomínguezCarral, María López, Ainhoa García Ribes, María Jesús Martínez González, Eva Arias, Adrián García Ron, Susana Boronat, Eulalia Turón Viñas, Dolors Casellas, Virginia Navarro, David Conejo, Elena Miravet, Irene Sánchez-Miranda Román, Antonio Gil Nagel-Rein, María Muñoz Cabeza, Patricia Smeyers, Ángel Aledo-Serrano
{"title":"Real-world use of cenobamate in pediatric focal epilepsies and developmental epileptic encephalopathies: A multicenter retrospective series.","authors":"Víctor Soto-Insuga, Adrián Valls Carbó, Anna Gretel Pinzón-Acevedo, Elena González-Alguacil, Juan José García Peñas, Andrea Sariego Jamardo, Gemma Aznar-Laín, Salvador Ibáñez-Micó, Helena Alarcón Martínez, Raquel Buenache, Saray Rekarte, Andrea Parejo Olivera, Ezequiel Tuero-Montiel, Jana DomínguezCarral, María López, Ainhoa García Ribes, María Jesús Martínez González, Eva Arias, Adrián García Ron, Susana Boronat, Eulalia Turón Viñas, Dolors Casellas, Virginia Navarro, David Conejo, Elena Miravet, Irene Sánchez-Miranda Román, Antonio Gil Nagel-Rein, María Muñoz Cabeza, Patricia Smeyers, Ángel Aledo-Serrano","doi":"10.1111/epi.18586","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18586","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Cenobamate (CNB) is an anti-seizure medication approved for focal-onset seizures in adults, with growing evidence supporting its use in pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). This study evaluates the efficacy, retention, and safety of CNB in children and adolescents, including those with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study of 169 pediatric patients (0-18 years) with DRE treated with CNB across centers in Spain. Seizure response (≥50% reduction) and seizure freedom (no seizures in the previous month) were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At 12 months, CNB showed a retention rate of 89.2%, with 83.9% of patients achieving seizure response and 19.6% reaching seizure freedom. Response rates were 73.4% at 3 months and 77.1% at 6 months, with seizure freedom increasing from 11.8% at 3 months to 21.1% at 6 months. Outcomes were comparable between DEEs and focal epilepsies, indicating broad-spectrum efficacy. Seizure worsening occurred in 4.7% of patients, all with DEEs. After adjusting for seizure type, those patients with focal seizures had higher odds of achieving seizure response (odds ratio [OR] 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 5.46, 1.27-23.52; p = 0.02) and seizure freedom (OR 95% CI 5.32, 1.57-17.97; p < 0.01). Median CNB doses (mg/kg/day) were 1.78 (range 0.37-12.5), 2.5 (range 0.67-12.5), and 3.19 (range 0.96-9.09) at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Adverse events occurred in 44.9% of patients, most commonly somnolence (42.3%) and dizziness (22.4%), which improved with slower titration.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>CNB appears effective and well-tolerated in pediatric DRE, including DEE, with high retention and sustained efficacy over time. Adverse events were generally manageable with dose adjustments, and slow, weight-based titration improved tolerability. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144741695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-07-29DOI: 10.1111/epi.18559
William H Cook, Conor S Gillespie, Ali Bakhsh, Anthony G Marson, Michael D Jenkinson, Adel E Helmy
{"title":"Epileptogenesis in meningioma: Theories, putative biomarkers, and postoperative risk.","authors":"William H Cook, Conor S Gillespie, Ali Bakhsh, Anthony G Marson, Michael D Jenkinson, Adel E Helmy","doi":"10.1111/epi.18559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18559","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cranial meningioma are the most common type of primary brain tumor, and focal onset, tumor-related seizures affect a significant proportion of patients. Seizures affect 30% of symptomatic preoperative patients and a further 12% of postoperative patients. Although most patients may be cured of their oncological disease by surgery, seizures confer disability, reduced quality-of-life, delayed return to driving and work, and increase the risk of sudden death. Tumor-associated seizures are also more likely to be resistant to antiseizure medications (ASMs). ASMs are limited to treating the symptoms of epilepsy-seizures-but have no disease-modifying effect on the mechanisms that cause or maintain seizure susceptibility. There is a need to be able to predict who is at risk of developing postoperative seizures for targeted prevention or closer monitoring of those at greater risk. Mechanisms underpinning brain tumor-related seizures are most likely multifactorial and related to morphological, biochemical, and metabolic causes. Brain tumors likely cause cortical hyperexcitability due to irritation caused by mass effect, brain invasion, and peritumoral brain edema. Inflammatory mediators are involved in epileptogenesis in animal models and human seizure syndromes and there are experimental data to support the development of inflammatory mediators as biomarkers for epileptogenesis. Meningioma-associated seizures are incompletely understood and consequently unpredictable with current knowledge. In this review, we discuss the proposed mechanisms of epileptogenesis in brain tumors and putative neuroinflammatory mechanisms for meningioma-associated seizures. Ultimately, we evaluate the potential of neuroinflammatory biomarkers of epileptogenesis in meningioma and the current challenges with extrapolating from current literature, which primarily consider epilepsy and intrinsic brain tumors. A prospective randomized controlled trial (STOP'EM: ISRCTN14381346) is open in the UK and will determine the role of two weeks of prophylactic levetiracetam in seizure-naïve patients undergoing meningioma surgery and provide an opportunity to obtain serial blood measurements from patients to assist with biomarker discovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144741675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-07-29DOI: 10.1111/epi.18567
Jeroen Gijs, Annelies Geebels, Greet Vanderlinden, Koen Van Laere, Ahmed Radwan, Anke Wouters, Patrick Dupont, Aline Delva, Wim Vandenberghe, Wim Van Paesschen, Karolien Goffin
{"title":"Focal hypermetabolism in suspected non-convulsive status epilepticus.","authors":"Jeroen Gijs, Annelies Geebels, Greet Vanderlinden, Koen Van Laere, Ahmed Radwan, Anke Wouters, Patrick Dupont, Aline Delva, Wim Vandenberghe, Wim Van Paesschen, Karolien Goffin","doi":"10.1111/epi.18567","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18567","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (<sup>18</sup>F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) as a biomarker in suspected non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) by characterizing electroclinical-metabolic correlations and quantifying focal hypermetabolism.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included adult patients with rhythmic and periodic patterns (RPPs) undergoing <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET for suspected NCSE. Two neurologists reviewed patient electroencephalography (EEG) recordings (0-30 min post-injection) using 2021 American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) criteria. <sup>18</sup>F-FDG PET images were blindly assessed by two nuclear medicine specialists for the presence and lobar location of focal hypermetabolism. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies enabled PET co-registration and segmentation. Patients with available MRI scans were compared to external age/sex-matched and in-house validation healthy control datasets. We calculated intra-subject standardized uptake value (SUV) z-scores within the gray matter and then compared this approach to SUV ratio (SUVR) methods (using either the cerebellum or the pons as reference region) using consensus visual assessment as the reference standard. For hypermetabolic volume quantification, we chose the lowest threshold with 100% specificity (z ≥ 3.0) to eliminate false-positive volumes, which yielded 62% sensitivity. Resulting volumes were correlated with lateralized periodic discharge (LPD) main modifiers (frequency, prevalence, evolution, plus-factors).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 24 adult patients (median age 62 years, 15 female), 17 (71%) had LPDs. Qualitatively, focal hypermetabolism was present in 92% of patients (n = 22), with strong concordance between visual PET findings and EEG lateralization in patients with LPDs. Twenty-three patients underwent MRI and were compared to external age/sex-matched (n = 23) and in-house validation (n = 22) healthy control datasets. Our technique outperformed traditional SUVR methods (AUC = 0.92 vs 0.55-0.64, p < .001) in detecting focal hypermetabolism. In patients with LPDs, hypermetabolic volumes ranged from 0 to 21.4 mL, with substantial volumes (>10 mL) observed across all discharge frequencies.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong><sup>18</sup>F-FDG-PET revealed focal hypermetabolism in most suspected NCSE cases, including in cases with equivocal EEG patterns. In patients with LPDs, the extent of focal hypermetabolism was highly variable across different frequencies.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144741694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpilepsiaPub Date : 2025-07-28DOI: 10.1111/epi.18578
Kelly Rios-Papachristos, Sarah Lindsay, Ya-Huei Li, Stephen Thompson, Anumeha Sheth
{"title":"Differences in delivery type, breastfeeding initiation, and length of postpartum hospitalization in patients with epilepsy.","authors":"Kelly Rios-Papachristos, Sarah Lindsay, Ya-Huei Li, Stephen Thompson, Anumeha Sheth","doi":"10.1111/epi.18578","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/epi.18578","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Patients with epilepsy (PWE) account for .3%-.5% of all births annually. PWE have higher obstetric health care utilization and lower rates of breastfeeding initiation, whereas data on cesarean delivery rates are mixed. The aim of this study was to examine the association of epilepsy with maternal outcomes, including the rate of cesarean delivery, rate of breastfeeding initiation, and length of postpartum hospitalization, in individuals delivering a singleton infant in a multihospital health care system on the East Coast.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included patients aged 18-45 years who delivered a singleton infant between September 1, 2018 and May 31, 2023. We compared the following among PWE and patients without epilepsy (PWoE): cesarean deliveries, length of postpartum hospitalization, breastfeeding initiation, inductions of labor versus spontaneous labor, unlabored primary cesarean deliveries, preterm deliveries (gestational age < 37 weeks), neonatal disposition, postpartum hemorrhage, placental abruption, and preeclampsia. Antiseizure medications (ASMs) listed at the time of delivery hospitalization were also extracted. A sensitivity analysis of PWE who either used or did not use ASMs at the time of delivery evaluated whether ASM use affected the primary outcomes. Comparable subpopulations identified with propensity score matching (PSM) examined the effect of epilepsy on maternal outcomes. A multivariate logistic regression identified predictors of prolonged postpartum hospitalization.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 33 764 deliveries, 199 (.59%) were to PWE. PWE had a higher proportion of cesarean delivery (36.1% vs. 28.2%), preterm delivery (15.0% vs. 8.4%), neonates requiring intensive care (9.9% vs. 5.4%), and prolonged postpartum hospitalization (33.3% vs. 22.1%) compared to PWoE (p ≤ .021) after PSM. A total of 54.8% (n = 109) of PWE used ASMs at the time of delivery compared to PWoE (n = 473, 1.4%). Epilepsy was associated with a higher risk of prolonged postpartum hospitalization (odds ratio = 1.8, 95% confidence interval = 1.0-3.1).</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>PWE had worse maternal outcomes than PWoE, and epilepsy itself was a risk factor for prolonged postpartum hospitalization. ASM use in PWE at the time of delivery was lower than expected.</p>","PeriodicalId":11768,"journal":{"name":"Epilepsia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144728903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}