Cortical excitability in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and praxis-indu...
| Grant number: | 16/17914-3 |
| Support type: | Regular Research Grants |
| Duration: | February 01, 2017 - January 31, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics |
| Principal Investigator: | Luiz Eduardo Gomes Garcia Betting |
| Grantee: | Luiz Eduardo Gomes Garcia Betting |
| Home Institution: | Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil |
Abstract
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease characterized by the presence of one or more unprovoked seizures associated with high risk of recurrence. The diagnosis of epilepsy is made by careful clinical history. The interpretation of the semiology of seizures with electroencephalogram (EEG) record allows the classification of epilepsies in several epileptic syndromes. Generalized seizures are seizures that rapidly engage bilaterally distributed networks. Genetic generalized epilepsies correspond to 20% of all epilepsies and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is the most common subtype. The EEG may show the typical generalized epileptiform discharges with normal background. Most patients have control of seizures with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) available. Routine neuroimaging is normal and in typical cases is not required. However, quantitative techniques demonstrate abnormalities in these patients and has contributed to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of JME. This research will evaluate clinical data, EEG, serum levels of AEDs and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) connectivity of 40 patients with JME. The aim of this study is to evaluate the interaction between these items and investigate the pathophysiology of JME. More specifically, the frequency of generalized discharges, level and appropriateness of medication and frequency of seizures will be correlated with neural networks in patients with JME. This correlation will be able to test the main hypothesis of this study which is the existence of a neural network directly related with the generalized discharges and influenced by AEDs. This finding could represent a marker for neuroimaging EMJ assisting in treatment and therapeutic monitoring of these patients. (AU)