American Epilepsy Society (AES): Annual Meeting
Conference Coverage
When to suspect a severe skin reaction to an AED
NEW ORLEANS – Although most eruptions are benign, certain symptoms raise concerns about rare and potentially fatal antiepileptic drug reactions....
Conference Coverage
How seizure prediction may benefit patients with epilepsy
Stress levels, EEG readings, and circadian patterns someday may be used to generate a daily seizure forecast, a researcher suggests.
Conference Coverage
Population-level rate of SUDEP may have decreased
NEW ORLEANS – It is unclear whether the observed decline in SUDEP incidence resulted from an intensified focus on risk reduction.
Conference Coverage
Onset of pediatric status epilepticus may have a circadian pattern
NEW ORLEANS - Onset of refractory pediatric status epilepticus may peak between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Conference Coverage
Hippocampal abnormalities seen in epilepsy subtypes may be congenital
NEW ORLEANS – Imaging studies suggest that changes in hippocampal volume seen in these patients probably occur before birth and are not the result...
Conference Coverage
How often is AED treatment delayed for patients with epilepsy?
NEW ORLEANS – More than 30% of patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy do not initiate antiepileptic drug treatment at the time of diagnosis,...
Conference Coverage
Bioequivalents lamotrigine, levetiracetam control new-onset focal seizures equally well
NEW ORLEANS – Reproductive and mental health histories can help decide which antiepileptic drug is the better choice for an individual patient.
Conference Coverage
Study elicits patients’ most disturbing epilepsy symptoms
NEW ORLEANS – The most prominent symptoms and functional impacts of epilepsy may differ in the early, middle, and late stages of the disease.
Conference Coverage
Nicotine patch may be an effective precision therapy for select epilepsies
NEW ORLEANS – In select epilepsy patients with gene variants in subunits of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, nicotine may be an...
Conference Coverage
Common AEDs confer modestly increased risk of major congenital malformations
NEW ORLEANS – The 5% overall rate is higher than the background rate, but is still considerably less than the 9% rate seen among valproate-exposed...
Conference Coverage
What constitutes a clinically meaningful reduction in seizure frequency?
NEW ORLEANS – An analysis of clinical trial data suggests that a 44% reduction in seizure frequency is clinically...
Conference Coverage
Resection, neurostimulation combo found successful in eloquent cortical regions
NEW ORLEANS – Flanking the resection with electrodes can suppress seizures while allowing surgeons to leave as much brain tissue as possible.
Conference Coverage
Infertility appears to be increased among women with epilepsy
NEW ORLEANS – An analysis finds an infertility rate of 9.2% among women with epilepsy, compared with 6.0% in the...
Conference Coverage
New and established AEDs have similar tolerability
NEW ORLEANS – The development of antiepileptic drugs with new mechanisms of action has not improved the tolerability...
Conference Coverage
Patients with PNES have increased mortality
NEW ORLEANS – Mortality is similar between patients with PNES and those with drug-resistant epilepsy.