Slow wave sleep and accelerated forgetting

We investigated whether the benefit of slow wave sleep (SWS) for memory consolidation typically observed in healthy individuals is disrupted in people with accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) due to epilepsy. SWS is thought to play an active role in declarative memory in healthy individuals and, furthermore, electrographic epileptiform activity is often more prevalent during SWS than during wakefulness or other sleep stages. We studied the relationship between SWS and the benefit of sleep for memory retention using a word-pair associates task. In both the ALF and the healthy control groups, sleep conferred a memory benefit. However, the relationship between the amount of SWS and sleep-related memory benefits differed significantly between the groups. In healthy participants, the amount of SWS correlated positively with sleep-related memory benefits. In stark contrast, the more SWS, the smaller the sleep-related memory benefit in the ALF group. Therefore, contrary to its role in healthy people, SWS-associated brain activity appears to be deleterious for memory in patients with ALF

Testing patients during seizures: A European consensus procedure developed by a joint taskforce of the ILAE - Commission on European Affairs and the European Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Association.

There is currently no international consensus procedure for performing comprehensive periictal testing of patients in the epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs). Our primary goal was to develop a standardized procedure for managing and testing patients during and after seizures in EMUs. The secondary goal was to assess whether it could be implemented in clinical practice (feasibility). A taskforce was appointed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)-Commission on European Affairs and the European Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Association, to develop a standardized ictal testing battery (ITB) based on expert opinion and experience with various local testing protocols. ITB contains a comprehensive set of 10 items that evidence the clinically relevant semiologic features, and it is adaptive to the dynamics of the individual seizures. The feasibility of the ITB was prospectively evaluated on 250 seizures from 152 consecutive patients in 10 centers. ITB was successfully implemented in clinical practice in all 10 participating centers and was considered feasible in 93% of the tested seizures. ITB was not feasible for testing seizures of very short duration

Standardisied Computer-based Organised Reporting of EEG (SCORE) - A structuring method to report EEG-findings

© 2018 Georg Thieme Verlag. All rights reserved. A taskforce formed in 2013 by the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology developed an EEG terminology with international consensus. In the following, the result - the second version of Standardized Computer-based Organized Reporting of EEG (SCORE) will be summarised. The terminology was tested in clinical practice using a software package (SCORE-EEG) applied to over 12,000 EEGs. The selection of terms is context-dependent: the initial selection determines which further options are available. A report is automatically generated and individual features are fed into a database. SCORE contains specialised modules for reporting on epileptic seizures, as well as for characteristic neonatal and intensive care EEG features. SCORE is a useful tool not only for outpatient, clinical and research settings, but also for quality control, data sharing and education

Standardisierter Computer-basiert- o rganisierter Report des EEG (SCORE) - Eine strukturierende Form der EEG-Befundung

A taskforce formed in 2013 by the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology developed an EEG terminology with international consensus. In the following, the result - the second version of Standardized Computer-based Organized Reporting of EEG (SCORE) will be summarised. The terminology was tested in clinical practice using a software package (SCORE-EEG) applied to over 12,000 EEGs. The selection of terms is context-dependent: the initial selection determines which further options are available. A report is automatically generated and individual features are fed into a database. SCORE contains specialised modules for reporting on epileptic seizures, as well as for characteristic neonatal and intensive care EEG features. SCORE is a useful tool not only for outpatient, clinical and research settings, but also for quality control, data sharing and education

Current use of imaging and electromagnetic source localization procedures in epilepsy surgery centers across Europe.

OBJECTIVE: In 2014 the European Union-funded E-PILEPSY project was launched to improve awareness of, and accessibility to, epilepsy surgery across Europe. We aimed to investigate the current use of neuroimaging, electromagnetic source localization, and imaging postprocessing procedures in participating centers. METHODS: A survey on the clinical use of imaging, electromagnetic source localization, and postprocessing methods in epilepsy surgery candidates was distributed among the 25 centers of the consortium. A descriptive analysis was performed, and results were compared to existing guidelines and recommendations. RESULTS: Response rate was 96%. Standard epilepsy magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols are acquired at 3 Tesla by 15 centers and at 1.5 Tesla by 9 centers. Three centers perform 3T MRI only if indicated. Twenty-six different MRI sequences were reported. Six centers follow all guideline-recommended MRI sequences with the proposed slice orientation and slice thickness or voxel size. Additional sequences are used by 22 centers. MRI postprocessing methods are used in 16 centers. Interictal positron emission tomography (PET) is available in 22 centers; all using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Seventeen centers perform PET postprocessing. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is used by 19 centers, of which 15 perform postprocessing. Four centers perform neither PET nor SPECT in children. Seven centers apply magnetoencephalography (MEG) source localization, and nine apply electroencephalography (EEG) source localization. Fourteen combinations of inverse methods and volume conduction models are used. SIGNIFICANCE: We report a large variation in the presurgical diagnostic workup among epilepsy surgery centers across Europe. This diversity underscores the need for high-quality systematic reviews, evidence-based recommendations, and harmonization of available diagnostic presurgical methods