Active clinical trials for "Epilepsy"

The incidence of provoked and unprovoked seizures is known to increase with advancing age. Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is one of the third generation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) that have been developed in the last ten years with a favorable safety profile. ESL is approved in Europe and the USA as adjunctive or monotherapy in adults with partial-onset seizures. Nevertheless, retrospective data in monotherapy condition in the elderly epileptic population are sparse. The aim of the ZEBRE study is to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of ESL in elderly epileptic patients (> 65 years). The completion of this study will provide crucial information on the most appropriate ESL treatment for elderly patients suffering from partial seizures.

The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmaco-economics of Lacosamide Tablet as first add-on therapy for uncontrolled focal onset epilepsy ,invetigating effects of lacosamide Tablet on cognitive function of children and anxiety and depression of adults with focal onset seizures In real-world clinical setting

The occurrence of isolated or recurring epileptic seizures accounts for an important use of the healthcare system. Typically, epileptic patient will consult ten times a year a physician (specialist or familial doctor) and will justify 24 diagnostic procedures or additional examinations. Moreover, epileptic seizures are associated with frequent use of emergency departments. From the first emergency call received by the Emergency medical assistance service (SAMU), the actual management of the patient having epileptic seizure includes the eventual transfer to the paramedical team then within an emergency unit. However in some cases, emergency allocation may be avoided as 70% of patients recover their baseline condition upon admission. The main objective of this study is to describe the management of the adult population suffering from suspected seizure by the emergency structures. For 3 consecutive days, all patients with suspected epileptic seizures (diagnosed by the SAMU, paramedics and emergency unit) will be enrolled in the study. Data of medical care management and information from patients or witnesses will be collected on a questionnaire by the physicians of the SAMU, paramedics and emergency unit. Then, the anonymized questionnaires will be sent to RESUVAL (Emergency Network of the Rhone Valley) to ensure data entry and statistical analysis. By identifying the factors leading the SAMU to transfer a patient with suspected epileptic seizure to an emergency unit, this study will provide a more appropriate procedure to prevent unnecessary emergency admissions. It will also gain more insights into the patient outcomes, such as complementary medication, brain examination or referral to a neurologist.

Epilepsy is an episodic disorder which can result in recurrent seizures often associated with hypertonia (muscle stiffening) and myoclonia (involuntary muscle jerking). Hypertonia can often occur before full expression of the seizure and so detection of hypertonia could act as an alarm to epilepsy patients and carers in order to prepare for a seizure event. Secondly, a recording device for seizure frequency and duration is a valuable clinical tool for collecting data for clinicians who manage the disorder in primary and tertiary care. The investigators have developed a portable prototype for hypertonia detection using a non-invasive, muscle activated, sensor that records seizure activity. The investigators now want to test this sensor system in patients identified by Consultant Clinician Custodians within the Wales Epilepsy Research Network (WERN). The Epidetect® prototype has been developed by VIKEL LTD™ in collaboration with WERN - a Welsh Assembly funded network.

Epilepsy, defined as recurrent, unprovoked seizures, is a common condition, affecting 0.5-1% of the general population. People with uncontrolled epilepsy suffer poor health and increased mortality due to their condition. They frequently experience social stigma and are socioeconomically disadvantaged. It is therefore imperative to help them gain control of their seizures as quickly as possible. A wide range of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has become available to treat people with epilepsy. However, despite maximal therapy, approximately 20-40% show pharmacoresistance (PR) and thus continue to have seizures. We do not understand why a significant proportion of people with epilepsy have PR. For any given patient presenting with a first unprovoked seizure, we are unable to predict PR at the time of presentation. At least 2 different AEDs must be tried at maximum doses for a year before we can diagnose PR. At this point, surgical therapies become an increasingly urgent consideration. Retrospective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in the chronic stages of epilepsy have shown that patients with PR are more likely to have focal structural lesions in the brain, and in particular to have signs of damage to the hippocampi. For example, there are retrospective data suggesting that a decreased hippocampal N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine ratio (measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy [MRS]) and hippocampal atrophy (determined by hippocampal volumetry) correlate with PR. However, it is not clear whether these findings reflect the underlying pathophysiology of PR, or simply reflect the effects of chronic seizures and chronic drug treatment on the brain. The First Seizure Clinic at the Halifax Infirmary represents a unique opportunity for prospective, longitudinal studies of patients who present with a first seizure or with newly diagnosed epilepsy. In these patients, advanced neuroimaging techniques at presentation might show changes that truly reflect the underlying pathophysiology of PR, rather than changes that develop as a consequence of prolonged seizures and drug treatment. Neuroimaging follow-up might help us to understand the pathophysiologic changes that accompany the evolution of PR. Ultimately, it is our hope to combine neuroimaging features and clinical features of patients with PR in a predictive model that would help us to predict PR at presentation.

This study has two purposes: firstly, a better understanding of the neurobiological processes underlying episodic memory and, secondly, the development of useful clinical applications for epileptic patients, in particular the prediction of postoperative memory deficits and the development of cognitive remediation therapies. Memory performances during a fMRI experiment will be assessed in controls and epileptic patients before and after the surgery.

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease which affects approximately 70,000 patients in Hong Kong and 50 billion people worldwide. Among these patients one-third remained unresponsive to antiepileptic agents. Continual drug manipulation is an essential therapeutic option for these patients with refractory epilepsy. In particular, rational polytherapy has become the mainstay of treatment for the sub-group of patients who have failed two or more antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). A substantial amount of research has shown that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA) may play a key role in the pathophysiology of several neurological diseases, including epilepsy. Animal models of epilepsy and clinical studies demonstrate that NMDA receptors activity and expression can be altered in association with epilepsy and particularly in some specific seizure types. NMDA receptor antagonists have been shown to have antiepileptic effects in both clinical and preclinical studies. There is some evidence that conventional antiepileptic drugs may also affect NMDA receptor function. Aims: To investigate the medium to long-term effects of AMPA/NMDA receptor antagonist in an Asian cohort as there is a relative lack of clinical data in this population To explore the efficacy of AMPA/NMDA receptor antagonist in patients with partial onsets seizures that may secondarily generalize and the specific side effects of AMPA/NMDA receptor antagonist in relation to behavioral problems. Methods: A semi-prospective design is adopted to recruit patients who are indicated and started on AMPA/NMDA receptor antagonist aged 12 or above in Hong Kong. This study will collect information about demographic details, medical history and seizure information. Assessment of seizure frequency is based on seizure diary and interviews with family members. Physical examination, electrocardiogram and other medical information relevant to the follow-up of the patient will be collected.

Prospective cohort study on the long-term effectiveness and safety of PINS vagus nerve stimulators for children and adolescent with refractory epilepsy.

The purpose is to evaluate specific capacities of face detection of individual neurons by comparison with their capacity of object detection in medial temporal lobe and ventral temporal cortex in epileptic patients. Secondary purpose is to evaluate specific capacities of detection of known faces of individual neurons by comparison with their capacity of detection of unknown faces in medial temporal lobe and ventral temporal cortex in epileptic patients.

With fMRI, we want to understand the mechanisms of brain neuromodulation in (dys)functional brain circuits, to obtain knowledge on involved brain networks in DBS.