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This systematic review aimed to identify factors significantly associated with the occurrence of epilepsy in autistic individuals and to consider the impact of study quality on findings. Electronic databases were systematically searched on October 2nd, 2020 and records retrieved were limited to those published from 2000 onwards. Study quality was categorised as 'good', 'moderate' or 'weak'. Fifty-three studies were included and in studies where the prevalence of epilepsy was reported (n = 257,892), 18,254 (7%) had co-occurring epilepsy. Intellectual disability/cognitive impairment was the most commonly reported risk factor associated with occurrence of epilepsy in autistic individuals. The evidence supporting other, potentially relevant factors was weak and inconsistent and requires further evaluation. Only 9/53 studies were considered 'good' quality., Author(s): Eleni Zarakoviti [sup.1] , Roz Shafran [sup.1] [sup.2] , David Skuse [sup.1] , Amy McTague [sup.1] [sup.2] , Neha Batura [sup.3] , Tom Palmer [sup.3] , Emma Dalrymple [sup.1] [...]

Byline: Tugba. Hirfanoglu, Zeynep. Ozturk, Guntulu. Gokdogan, Ibrahim. Hirfanoglu, Eray. Onal, Canan. Turkyilmaz, Ebru. Ergenekon, Esin. Koc Context: There are limited data in the literature about the relationship between neonatal [...]

Purpose Investigate the prevalence, risk factors and impact of continuous EEG (cEEG) abnormalities on mortality through the 1-year follow-up period in patients with severe sepsis. Methods Prospective, single-center, observational study of consecutive patients admitted with severe sepsis to the Medical ICU at an academic medical center. Results A total of 98 patients with 100 episodes of severe sepsis were included; 49 patients (50%) were female, median age was 60 (IQR 52-74), the median non-neuro APACHE II score was 23.5 (IQR 18-28) and median non-neuro SOFA score was 8 (IQR 6-11). Twenty-five episodes had periodic discharges (PD), of which 11 had nonconvulsive seizures (NCS). No patient had NCS without PD. Prior neurological history was associated with a higher risk of PD or NCS (45 vs. 17%; CI 1.53-10.43), while the non-neuro APACHE II, non-neuro SOFA, severity of cardiovascular shock and presence of sedation during cEEG were associated with a lower risk of PD or NCS. Clinical seizures before cEEG were associated with a higher risk of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (24 vs. 6%; CI 1.42-19.94) while the non-neuro APACHE II and non-neuro SOFA scores were associated with a lower risk. Lack of EEG reactivity was present in 28% of episodes. In the survival analysis, a lack of EEG reactivity was associated with higher 1-year mortality [mean survival time 3.3 (95% CI 1.8-4.9) vs. 7.5 (6.4-8.7) months; p = 0.002] but the presence of PD or NCS was not [mean survival time 3.3 (95% CI 1.8-4.9) vs. 7.5 (6.4-8.7) months; p = 0.592]. Lack of reactivity was more frequent in patients on continuous sedation during cEEG. In patients with available 1-year data (34% of the episodes), 82% had good functional outcome (mRS [less than or equal to] 3, n = 27). There were no significant predictors of functional outcome, late cognition, and no patient with complete follow-up data developed late seizure or new epilepsy. Conclusions NCS and PD are common in patients with severe sepsis and altered mental status. They were less frequent among the most severely sick patients and were not associated with outcome in this study. Lack of EEG reactivity was more frequent in patients on continuous sedation and was associated with mortality up to 1 year after discharge. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings in a broader population and to further evaluate long-term cognitive outcome, risk of late seizure and epilepsy., Author(s): Emily J. Gilmore [sup.1], Nicolas Gaspard [sup.2] [sup.3], Huimahn A. Choi [sup.4], Emily Cohen [sup.5], Kristin M. Burkart [sup.6], David H. Chong [sup.6], Jan Claassen [sup.7], Lawrence J. Hirsch [...]

Purpose Our aim was to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and impact on outcome of nonconvulsive seizures (NCSz), nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE), and periodic epileptiform discharges (PEDs) in surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients with continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) monitoring. Methods This was a retrospective study of SICU patients who underwent cEEG monitoring for altered mental status over a 6-year period. We report the frequency of NCSz (including NCSE) and PEDs on cEEG. The primary outcome was death or severe disability at hospital discharge. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify whether NCSz (including NCSE) and PEDs were independently associated with poor outcome (death, vegetative state or severe disability). Results Of 154 patients, the mean age was 64 ± 14 years old, and 40 % were women. The majority of patients were admitted following abdominal surgery (36 %) and liver transplantation (24 %). Sepsis developed in 100 (65 %) patients. Sixteen percent (n = 24) had NCSz [including 5 % (N = 8) with NCSE], and 29 % (N = 45) had PEDs. All eight patients with NCSE were septic. Clinical seizures prior to cEEG and coma were more common among patients who developed NCSz or NCSE compared to patients without NCSz or NCSE (70 vs. 27 %; p < 0.01; 75 vs. 52 %; p = 0.046 and 63 vs. 34 %; p = 0.09, respectively). NCSzs (including NCSE) were independently associated with poor outcome (20 vs. 3 %, OR 10.4, 95 % CI 1.0-53.7; p = 0.039). Conclusion In this retrospective study of SICU patients with cEEG monitoring for altered mental status, NCSz and periodic discharges were frequent and NCSz were independently associated with poor outcome. NCSz were more common when clinical seizures occurred before cEEG., Author(s): Pedro Kurtz [sup.1] [sup.2], Nicolas Gaspard [sup.3], Anna Sophia Wahl [sup.1], Rebecca Marie Bauer [sup.4], Lawrence J. Hirsch [sup.3], Hannah Wunsch [sup.5] [sup.6], Jan Claassen [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

Epilepsy, a disease characterized by abnormal brain activity, is a disabling and potentially life-threatening condition for nearly 1% of the world population. Unfortunately, modulation of brain excitability using available antiepileptic drugs can have serious side effects, especially in the developing brain, and some patients can only be improved by surgical removal of brain regions containing the seizure focus. Here, we show that bilateral transplantation of precursor cells from the embryonic medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) into early postnatal neocortex generates mature GABAergic interneurons in the host brain. In mice receiving MGE cell grafts, GABA-mediated synaptic and extrasynaptic inhibition onto host brain pyramidal neurons is significantly increased. Bilateral MGE cell grafts in epileptic mice lacking a Shaker-like potassium channel (a gene mutated in one form of human epilepsy) resulted in significant reductions in the duration and frequency of spontaneous electrographic seizures. Our findings suggest that MGE-derived interneurons could be used to ameliorate abnormal excitability and possibly act as an effective strategy in the treatment of epilepsy. epilepsy | inhibition | neocortex | therapy | graft