Active clinical trials for "Drug Resistant Epilepsy"

Clinical randomized controlled observer blinded add-on design. Additionally there will be a non-controlled follow-up phase of the study. Children (Age 4-18 years) with intractable epilepsy, and not eligible for resective surgery will be treated with VNS. Aim of the study: To evaluate tolerability and effectiveness of VNS in children with intractable epilepsy and cognitive and behavioural problems in a controlled study. To evaluate the effect of VNS on the immune system which, in its turn, will lead to changes in the serotonin metabolic pathway To link the therapeutic effect of VNS to changes in the serotonin (5HT) metabolic pathway. In addition the investigators hope to detect some markers of immune and neurotransmitter function that enable us to predict 1) Neuronal cell loss in relation to cognitive decline 2) the response to therapeutic treatment of VNS. Hypothesis: The investigators aim to explore neuronal correlates for cognitive morbidity in children with intractable epilepsy and to relate this to morphologic changes, biochemical markers, and to epilepsy characteristics. Correction of the "stressed" pro-inflammatory status of monocytes/macrophages via an electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve will prevent/ameliorate seizures as well as behavioural mood symptoms in children with refractory epilepsy, characterized by the "pro-inflammatory monocyte signature"

Evaluate the long-term clinical effectiveness and safety of the PINS vagus nerve stimulator to patients with refractory epilepsy.

This randomised trial is undertaken to assess whether MAD or LGIT is non-inferior to KD with regard to seizure control at twenty-four weeks among children with drug resistant epilepsy. The hypothesis of the study is that in 1 to 15-year-old children with drug resistant epilepsy, use of Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) or Low Glycemic Index Therapy (LGIT) as an add on to the ongoing anti-epileptic drugs would not be inferior to ketogenic diet by >15% in terms of seizure reduction from baseline seizure frequency at 24 weeks. The primary outcome of the study is to determine the efficacy of MAD as compared to KD and LGIT as compared to KD for seizure reduction in drug resistant epilepsy following 24 weeks of dietary therapy in 1 to 15-year-old children on anti-epileptic drugs. The change in seizure frequency will be estimated as percentage change in seizure reduction at 24 weeks as compared to baseline.

Drug resistant epilepsy constitutes about one third of all children diagnosed with epilepsy. Although ketogenic diet is being used for drug resistant epilepsy for almost hundred years, its restrictiveness and adverse effects interferes with its compliance. So less restrictive alternatives like Low Glycemic Index Therapy diet is gradually becoming more popular and its effectiveness is well established. Still the restrictiveness of such monotonous diets is one of the most significant issues for long term maintenance of children on dietary therapy. In this study, we are planning to compare the efficacy of daily and intermittent Low Glycemic Index therapy Diet in children aged 1-15 years with drug resistant epilepsy in a open labelled randomized controlled non-inferiority trial. The children in intermittent LGIT arm will receive the dietary therapy for five days of each week, alternating with a liberal diet on the rest of the two days of the week.

To compare the efficacy of two less restrictive dietary therapies - LGIT and MAD, used for treatment of drug resistant epilepsy in children

Almost all patients with epilepsy living in the region of Paris have vitamin D deficiency, which is severe in 1/3 of the cases. The impact of this deficiency on epilepsy is unknown, despite the suggested benefits of vitamin D therapy including better seizure control and improvement of comorbidities (fatigue, anxiety, depression) in drug-resistant patients. Recommendations for vitamin D supplementation based on the serum level in the general population cannot be applied to patients with epilepsy due to interference of antiepileptic drugs in the vitamin D metabolism. Animal models, mechanisms of action studies and ecological information provide objective data for a direct antiepileptic effect of vitamin D. Human studies seem to confirm the antiepileptic effect of vitamin D but there are no controlled studies on large populations. The investigators aim to assess prospectively the effect of the treatment of vitamin D deficiency providing a high level of evidence. The investigators propose a multicentre placebo controlled randomized double-blind study, testing vitamin D supplementation against placebo in 400 drug-resistant patients to assess the short-term (3 months) and long-term (1 year) benefits on epilepsy. The investigators hypothesize that the treatment of vitamin D deficiency will result in significant reduction of seizure frequency, and improvement of comorbid symptoms as well as quality of life. The impact on the care of patients is important because better epilepsy control allows reduction of the antiepileptic drugs and side effects. This again is a key for the recovery of social and professional activities, and reduction of costs related to the disease.

Epilepsy is a neurological disease that can cause many comorbid psychiatric disorders, among them: generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Many studies suggest a temporal relationship between exposure to a traumatic event and the development of epilepsy. The objective of this research is to study the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTS) in patients with epilepsy, and their relation to anxiety and depression in these patients. The investigators also wish to study how such symptoms may be associated with the subjective semiological manifestations of epileptic seizures. In addition, it has been shown that patients with epilepsy are able, from the identification of different warning signs, to anticipate their vulnerability to having an epileptic seizure allowing them to set up different types. strategies to control them. The investigators also wish to study the cognitive processes involved in this control and the influence of PTS symptoms, in particular hypervigilance on this behavior. The investigators propose a protocol using different types of measures: emotional, cognitive and physiological in order to answer our questions. In addition to patients with epilepsy, two groups of patients will be included: a group of patients with another chronic non-neurological disease to compare the prevalence of PTS symptoms and a group of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) to compare with patients with epilepsy, cognitive and physiological measures. Finally, the results of this study should allow to develop tools for assessing PTS symptoms in epilepsy and to develop specific management approaches

The purpose of the study is to examine the clinical safety, tolerability, and efficacy of clobazam (Onfi) when it replaces the pre-existing clonazepam therapy in patients with refractory epilepsy.

This is an open randomized controlled study in children with mental retardation and refractory epilepsy in which treatment with ketogenic diet (KD) is compared with treatment with the antiepileptic drug (AED), not tried by the patient before, which we consider to be the most appropriate AED for the patient.

Children with refractory epilepsy who are candidates for a treatment with vagus nerve stimulation will be prospectively randomized into 2 arms. Vagus nerve stimulation parameters are programmed and adjusted during outpatient clinic visits, within the normal clinical practice.