Highlights: imaging the temporal dynamics & cellular architecture of seizures in Dravet syndrome, & reducing risk of spontaneous fetal loss.
Studies chosen as the best of epilepsy at AAN 2017 included an examination of the structure of seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, a look at seizure triggers, the impact of unplanned pregnancy on spontaneous fetal loss, and a review studying the feasibility of extrapolating adjunctive AED efficacy data from adults to a pediatric population.
Epilepsy Highlights: AAN 2017
In vivo Two-Photon Calcium Imaging of Excitatory Pyramidal Neurons and Inhibitory Fast-Spiking Parvalbumin-Positive Interneurons during Temperature-Induced Seizures in a Mouse Model of Dravet Syndrome
In a mouse model of Dravet syndrome, can researchers determine the temporal dynamics and cellular architecture of seizures?
For the first time, the structure of seizures was characterized through in vivo two-photon calcium imaging.
Seizure Triggers in Epilepsy Patients: a National Perspective
Can a mobile device app identify common seizure triggers?
The EpiWatch app was successful in gathering research from a national cohort of patients with epilepsy; stress was the most common seizure trigger.
The Importance of Family Planning as a Determinant of Spontaneous Fetal Loss in Women with Epilepsy: Findings of the Epilepsy Birth Control Registry
Is spontaneous fetal loss (SFL) in women with epilepsy more common in unplanned pregnancies?
The researchers advise prospective investigation, as these findings suggest unplanned pregnancies may double SFL risk.
Extrapolation of Efficacy Data from Adults with Primary Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures (PGTC) to Pediatric Patients: a Meta-Analysis of Published Clinical Trials
Due to the challenges of conducting clinical trials in children, can AED efficacy data in adults be used to extrapolate efficacy in pediatric patients with primary generalized tonic-clonic (PGTC) seizures?
The Pediatric Committee of the European Medicines Agency requested a study exploring the feasibility of extrapolating efficacy data from adults to pediatric patients with PGTC seizures and this method appears to be practicable.
