Epilepsy & behavior : E&B
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Children with epilepsy (CWE) are at risk of impaired quality of life (QOL), and achieving a good QOL is an important treatment goal among CWE. To date, there are no published multiethnic QOL studies in Asia. Our study aimed to: i) investigate the QOL of multiethnic CWE in Malaysia as reported by both the child and parent; ii) determine the level of agreement between child-self report and parent-proxy report QOL; and iii) explore potential correlates of sociodemographic, epilepsy characteristics, and family functioning with QOL in CWE. ⋯ Our results emphasize the importance to have the child's perspective of their QOL as the level of agreement between the parent and child reported scores were poor to moderate. Malaysian CWE of Malay ethnicity, those with focal seizures or high seizure frequency are at risk of poorer QOL.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Mar 2018
Pattern of executive functioning in adolescents with epilepsy: A multimethod measurement approach.
Youth with epilepsy demonstrate deficits in executive functioning (EF), the skills necessary for goal-directed behavior (e.g., problem-solving, initiating, monitoring, organization, planning, and working memory). Despite 30-50% of youth with epilepsy demonstrating EF deficits, no extant studies have utilized both performance and questionnaire-based measures to examine the pattern of EF deficits in adolescents with epilepsy. Study aims were to 1) identify the pattern of EF deficits in adolescents with epilepsy and 2) identify which assessment tools are most sensitive to EF deficits in this population (adolescents, ages 13-17, with epilepsy). ⋯ Overall, our findings suggest that executive functioning deficits are selective and different from those observed in other neurological populations (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), traumatic brain injury) where problems with self-regulation (i.e., inhibition, planning/organization) are more pronounced. These findings support utilizing multiple measures, including both performance-based neuropsychological tests and parent- and self-reports, to assess executive functioning difficulties in adolescents with epilepsy as they are uniquely sensitive to executive functioning domains. Adolescents with unclassified epilepsy also appear to be at higher risk for EF deficits and thus represent an important group to target for intervention.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Mar 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialEfficacy, safety, and tolerability of brivaracetam with concomitant lamotrigine or concomitant topiramate in pooled Phase III randomized, double-blind trials: A post-hoc analysis.
The objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of adjunctive brivaracetam (BRV) with concomitant use of lamotrigine (LTG) or topiramate (TPM) in patients with uncontrolled focal seizures. ⋯ In this post-hoc pooled analysis, BRV administered with concomitant LTG or TPM reduced seizure frequency and was generally well tolerated for BRV doses of 50-200mg/day.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Mar 2018
Multicenter StudyEfficacy and tolerability of adjuvant lacosamide: The role of clinical characteristics and mechanisms of action of concomitant AEDs.
The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness and long-term tolerability of adjuvant lacosamide (LCM) in a multicenter cohort. We aim to assess outcomes of LCM-containing antiepileptic drug (AED) combinations based upon 'mechanism of action' (MoA) and patient's clinical features. ⋯ Adjuvant LCM is associated with seizure freedom rates of 9% at 12months after commencement and is predicted by lower prior seizure frequency, a period of 6months or longer of seizure freedom since diagnosis and fewer concomitant AEDs. While the broad MoA of concomitant AEDs did not influence efficacy or tolerability outcomes, we have provided a framework that may be utilized in future studies to help identify optimal synergistic AED combinations.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Mar 2018
Efficacy of artisanal preparations of cannabidiol for the treatment of epilepsy: Practical experiences in a tertiary medical center.
Medically refractory epilepsy continues to be a challenge worldwide, and despite an increasing number of medical therapies, approximately 1 in 3 patients continues to have seizures. Cannabidiol (CBD), one of many constituents of the Cannabis sativa or marijuana plant, has received renewed interest in the treatment of epilepsy. While highly purified CBD awaits Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, artisanal formulations of CBD are readily available and are seeing increased use in our patient population. ⋯ Benefits were more marked in the CBD alone group, in contrast to the CBD and clobazam group, but this difference was not statistically significant. In summary, these findings support efficacy of artisanal CBD preparations in seizure reduction with few significant side effects. The response to CBD was independent of concurrent clobazam use, although clobazam may contribute to the sedation seen with concurrent CBD use.