Active clinical trials for "Epilepsies, Partial"

Epilepsy is a frequent neurological disease in childhood, characterized by recurrent seizures and sometimes with major effects on social, behavioral and cognitive development. Childhood focal epilepsies particularly are age-related diseases mainly occurring during developmental critical period. A complex interplay between brain development and maturation processes and susceptibility genes may contribute to the development of various childhood epileptic syndromes associated with language and cognitive deficits. Indeed, the Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS), the continuous spike-and-waves during sleep syndrome (CSWS), and the benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) or benign rolandic epilepsy, are different syndromes that are considered as part of a single continuous spectrum of disorders. While genetic component in those three syndromes remains elusive, novel and high throughput genome analyzes could bring interesting insights into the possible genetic defects and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying and linking the various disorders associating epilepsy with speech and cognitive impairments.

This study will examine how certain language skills, such as naming objects, understanding spoken language and reading are organized in the brain and how they are affected by seizures. People with epilepsy who are considering surgery and healthy volunteers who are right-handed and between the ages of 7 and 55 may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo the following procedures twice, and, in some cases, possibly three times, in two or three visits of 2 to 4 hours each. Neuropsychological tests: Testing includes questionnaires, pen-and-pencil or computerized tests and motor tasks. Structural MRI: This procedure uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain pictures of brain structure. During the test, the subject lies in the scanner (a metal cylinder surrounded by a magnetic field) for about 90 minutes, wearing earmuffs to muffle knocking noises the machine makes. Subjects may be asked to lie still for up to 10 minutes at a time. Functional MRI: This procedure is similar to structural MRI, except a coil is placed over the head and the subject performs simple tasks during the procedure. The pictures obtained show what parts of the brain are being used to perform the task. The test lasts about 60 minutes, with subjects asked to lie still for up to 10 minutes at a time. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG): For MEG, the subject sits in an MEG recording room with a cone containing magnetic field detectors lowered onto his or her head. Very small magnetic changes produced by the activity of the brain are recorded while the subject sits quietly or performs a research task. An EEG recording of the electrical activity of the brain is done at the same time as the MEG. ...

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the main concern of professionals and patient associations involved in epilepsy. These represent a priority for the Ligue Française Contre l'Epilepsie (LFCE). The SUDEP affect primarily young adults, between 18 and 40 years, suffering from epilepsy uncontrolled by medication. In this population of close to 100,000 people in France, the incidence of SUDEP is estimated at 0.5%, or nearly 500 deaths per year. It is clear that the majority of these deaths occur in the immediate consequences of a crisis.. Investigators suppose that a causal link exists between the occurrence of a SUDEP and a per / post-critic decline of SpO2 below 80 % (75 % of cases, 20 % of controls).The constitution of a cohort of 1500 patients clinically well described and a national database will allow other ambitious projects in a speciality where French centres benefit from a unique knowledge, recognized by their foreign colleagues, but underexploited to date. The LFCE (Ligue Française Contre l'Epilepsie) is developing structuring actions to facilitate such exploratory studies for the next two years. The high death rate which characterizes the drug-resistant partial epilepsies and, in particular, Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Epilepsy (SUDEP) represents the main axis of research for the Ligue Française Contre l'Epilepsie (LFCE) as well as for associations of epileptic patients and the European representatives of the international league against epilepsy ( ILAE). Today, SUDEP occurrences cannot be anticipated. Patients can't be warned against SUDEP. Although the SUDEP physiopathology remains uncertain, many elements plead for the essential role of a per-and post-critic apnea (central or obstructive). Investigators observe that about 20 % of the patients admitted in a EEG-video monitoring - EEG unit for recording their crisis are going to present experience an per / post-critic severe apnea, severe per / post-critic enough to have induce a SpO2 < 80 % decrease. However, today, no study has estimated the link relation between the arisen occurrence of such apneas and the later risk of SUDEP.

The specific aim is to determine if there are patterns of temperature differences in the abdominal and back regions of individuals with partial/focal onset epilepsy as compared to a non-epileptic control group. The hypothesis is that individuals with partial/focal onset epilepsy will have colder recorded temperatures in the abdominal area than individuals in a matched control group.

observational, non-interventional study in 120 patients with drug-resistant partial epilepsy, comprising two phases: a 3-month retrospective and a 6-month prospective. As control group, 120 patients with controlled partial epilepsy will be enrolled. The objective of the study is to describe the burden of illness in this epileptic population both in terms of costs and of quality of life. Costs and quality of life will be also compared between the two populations.

Focal cortical dysplasia is one of the most common lesions responsible for medically refractory epilepsy in the pediatric population. In patients with medically intractable epilepsy, surgery is the only treatment that will lead to seizure freedom. The outcome of epilepsy surgery is worse in patients when there is no lesion identified on routine structural MRI, also known as MRI-negative partial epilepsy. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a novel MRI technique, can be used to evaluate the integrity of the microstructure of the white matter, even when the white matter appears normal on routine MRI.

This study will evaluate the magnetoencephalography (MEG) alone and together with electroencephalography (EEG) in non-invasive presurgical evaluation. It will look at the contribution of those methods in determining the location of the epilepsy seizure, compared with doing so through an invasive method. EEG measures electronic potential differences on the scalp. On the other hand, MEG is a non-invasive technique for recording the activity of neurons in the brain, through recording of magnetic fields caused by synchronized neural currents. It has the ability to detect seizures. Because magnetic signals of the brain vary, this technique must balance two key problems: weakness of the signal and strength of the noise. The EEG is sensitive to extra-cellular volume currents, whereas the MEG primarily registers intra-cellular currents. Because electrical fields are quite dependent on the conductive properties of the tissues, and magnetic fields are significantly less distorted by tissue, the MEG has better spatial resolution. There is a great deal of evidence that EEG and MEG provide complementary data about underlying currents of ions. Patients 18 years of age or older who have epilepsy that is not relieved, and who are considered candidates for surgery and who accept epilepsy surgery, may be eligible for this study. Before they have surgery, participants will either sit or lie down, with their head in a helmet covering the entire head, with openings for the eyes and ears. Brain magnetic fields will be recorded with a 275-channel OMEGA system. Throughout the session, visual and two-way audio communication will be maintained with the patient. Acquiring data from the participant will be conducted during several sessions, each lasting from 10 to 60 minutes, not exceeding a total of 120 minutes. If the first recording is not of sufficient quality, the patient may have it repeated once or twice. Those participants who are found to have a clear seizure focus will proceed directly to surgery that is part of their treatment. Those whose seizure focus is ambiguous will proceed to invasive monitoring. Participants will be followed in the outpatient clinic at intervals of 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. They may periodically undergo reimaging as considered appropriate.

This study is designed to use positron emission tomography to measure brain energy use. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a technique used to investigate the functional activity of the brain. The PET technique allows doctors to study the normal processes of the brain (central nervous system) of normal individuals and patients with neurologic illnesses without physical / structural damage to the brain. When a region of the brain is active, it uses more fuel in the form of oxygen and sugar (glucose). As the brain uses more fuel it produces more waste products, carbon dioxide and water. Blood carries fuel to the brain and waste products away from the brain. As brain activity increases blood flow to and from the area of activity increases also. Researchers can label a sugar with a small radioactive molecule called FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose). As areas of the brain use more sugar the PET scan will detect the FDG and show the areas of the brain that are active. By using this technique researchers hope to answer the following questions; 4. Are changes in brain energy use (metabolism) present early in the course of epilepsy 5. Do changes in brain metabolism match the severity of patient's seizures 6. Do changes in metabolism occur over time or in response to drug therapy

The identification of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) during pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy presurgical assessment frequently requires intracranial recordings like stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG). Cortical direct electrical stimulation (DES) is commonly used during SEEG for functional mapping or to induce seizure. However, the recording of seizures is sometimes insufficient to circumscribe the EZ and development of new biomarkers is necessary. The cortex within the EZ is thought to be hyperexcitable. The "paired pulses" paradigm, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), allows determining the hemispheric cortical excitability level. The investigators hypothesize that paired pulses DES during SEEG could provide useful information for EZ identification.

This observational study aims to investigate how VIMPAT® is used as adjunctive therapy in clinical practice and will also evaluate the subsequent change in the drug load of patients after addition of VIMPAT® to their treatment regimen.