Epilepsia e cefaleia são doenças neurológicas comuns. A epilepsia atinge cerca de 1% da população mundial, enquanto a cefaleia têm prevalência muito mais elevada, ocorrendo em 38-50% das pessoas. As duas condições dividem mecanismos fisiopatogênicos comuns. Relatos de cefaleia em pacientes neuropediátricos com epilepsia correm, mas são pouco estudados devido ao pequeno número de pacientes e dificuldade de diagnóstico de cefaleia nessa população. Nesse estudo avaliamos a prevalência e as características de cefaleia em pacientes com epilepsia focal de início na infância, na idade adulta e após os 50 nos de idade. Foram analisados 167 pacientes com epilepsia focal. Cento e vinte e cinco destes pacientes (74.8%) apresentaram cefaleia. No primeiro grupo, a idade de início da epilepsia variou de 0-17 anos, no segundo de 18-50 anos e no terceiro acima de 50 anos. Para cada paciente entrevistado, foi utilizado um questionário padronizado, verificando a existência de epilepsia e cefaleia, idade de início, frequência, intensidade, classificação e resposta ao tratamento. No nosso estudo, quanto mais precoce o início da epilepsia, maior a chance de do paciente ser refratário e de apresentar cefaleia. Todos os tipos de cefaleia foram mais comuns em pacientes que iniciaram ainda jovens com epilepsia. A cefaleia foi mais comum em mulheres que iniciaram com epilepsia até 50 anos. Após essa idade, a cefaleia em epilepsia foi mais frequentemente observada em pacientes masculinos. Quando a epilepsia iniciou na infância, a cefaleia ocorreu mais frequentemente associada às crises, sendo predominantemente observada no período pós-ictal e ocorrendo mais comumente na região occipital. Esses achados podem sugerir que ocorre maior sobreposição fisiopatológica entre epilepsia e cefaleia quando a epilepsia inicia na infância. No conjunto, nosso estudo demonstrou que a cefaleia observada em epilepsia tem características dependentes da idade de início das crises. Parece ocorrer uma sobreposição de mecanismos de doença entre cefaleia e epilepsia quando a epilepsia inicia na infância. Essa associação é menos observada quando a epilepsia ocorre após os 50 anos de idade, sugerindo diferentes mecanismos fisiopatogênicos para ocorrência da cefaleia em epilepsia, de acordo com a época de início da epilepsia. / Epilepsy and headache are common neurological diseases. Epilepsy affects around 1% of the world population, while headache prevalence is much higher, occurring in 38-50% of people. Both conditions share mutual physiopathogenic mechanisms. Reports of headache in neuropediatric patients with epilepsy occur, but they are poorly studied due to the small number of patients and difficulty of headache diagnosis on this population. This study evaluated the prevalence and characteristics of headache in patients with focal epilepsy of childhood onset, adulthood and after 50 years old. We analyzed 167 patients with focal epilepsy. One hundred twenty five of those patients (74.8%) had headache. In the first group, the age at onset of epilepsy varied between 0-17 years; in the second group, from 18-50 years; and in the third group above 50 years. For each patient interviewed, a standardized survey was used to verify the occurrence of epilepsy and headache, the age at onset, frequency, intensity, classification and response to treatment. In this study, the earlier the onset of headache, the greater the chances of the patient is refractory and to present headache. All kinds of headache were more common in patients who started at a young age with epilepsy. Headache was more common in women who started until 50 years old with epilepsy. After this age, headache in epilepsy was more often observed in male patients. When epilepsy started at childhood, headache occurred more often related to the crises, being predominantly observed during post-ictal period and most commonly occurring in the occipital region. These findings may suggest that physiopathologic superposition between epilepsy and headache occurs more often at childhood. As a whole, the study demonstrated that the headache observed in epilepsy has characteristics dependent on the onset age of crises. There seems to be a superposition of disease mechanisms between headache and epilepsy when epilepsy starts during childhood. This association is less observed when epilepsy occurs after 50 years old, suggesting different physiopathogenic mechanisms for headache occurrence in epilepsy, according to the time of onset of epilepsy.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2009 / Conceptions of epilepsy were studied using Q-methodology. The study was conducted at the University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus) and the surrounding communities. The aim was to examine perceptions of epilepsy among different categories of people and to explore and differentiate between these categories’ individual construction of what epilepsy is. Thirty three participants were recruited for the study. They included medical professionals (doctors and nurses), traditional and spiritual healers, university students (consisting of both health sciences and non-health sciences students), two ethnic groups (namely, the Bapedi and Vhavenda), people who are from both rural and urban areas, and high school teachers. Each category was represented by three people. Participants sorted thirty six statements developed from interviews. Four factors emerged from the analysis, and were labeled as medical perceptions of epilepsy, equality of treatment for epileptics, traditionalist perceptions of epilepsy, and religious beliefs of epilepsy. These factors are discussed. / National Research Foundation

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in children, with both seizures and their medical treatment associated with increased risk of neuropsychological impairments. Adaptive functioning in children with epilepsy is poorly understood. This study sought to identify the neuropsychological and medical predictors of optimal adaptive functioning in pediatric epilepsy. Forty-six children with epilepsy and 16 typically developing children and their parents participated in this study at two time points. Overall, adaptive functioning was found to be in the average to low average range in children with epilepsy. A composite measure assessing cumulative seizure history was able to significantly predict Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II (ABAS-II) scores. Whether a child had experienced one or more seizures in the last year was the only individual seizure and treatment variable able to significantly predict adaptive functioning as measured by the ABAS-II. Verbal learning, executive functioning, and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems assessed at Time 1 predicted performance on the ABAS-II at Time 2. Verbal memory and attention, however, were not significant predictors of adaptive functioning. Consistent with what was hypothesized, executive functioning was found to mediate the relationship between seizure history and adaptive functioning when controlling for behavior problems at both Times 1 and 2. When behavior problems were the mediator and executive functioning was controlled for, mediation was not found. Executive functioning also mediated the relationship between group membership (monotherapy, polytherapy, and typically developing) and ABAS-II scores at Time 1, but not at Time 2 when a post-surgical group also was represented. Secondary analyses showed that the relationship between executive and adaptive functioning at Time 2 was moderated by whether or not a child had ever experienced seizures, such that children diagnosed with epilepsy evidenced greater correlations between these constructs than typically developing children. The results of this study suggest that a subset of children with epilepsy, those with active seizures and/or executive dysfunction, are at increased risk of adaptive deficits. These findings highlight the risk factors for suboptimal adaptive functioning in this population, and also suggest potential avenues for remediation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between extracellular basal hippocampal glutamate levels and cognitive function in epileptic patients. We used the zero-flow microdialysis method to measure the extracellular concentrations of glutamate in the epileptogenic and non-epileptogenic hippocampus of 23 awake epileptic patients during the interictal period. All patients underwent extensive neuropsychological testing to assess cognitive functioning prior to probe implantation. Basal glutamate levels in the epileptogenic hippocampus were significantly higher than the non-epileptogenic hippocampus (mean, 11.96 micromolar (µM) versus 2.92 µM, respectively). Elevated basal glutamate levels in the epileptogenic hippocampus correlated with decreased scores on the Verbal Selective Reminding Test (V-SRT) (R[exponent]2 = 0.36, p = 0.0244). When controlling for MRI-detected hippocampal atrophy within epileptogenic regions, elevated basal glutamate levels within atrophic hippocampus correlated with decreased cognitive functioning measured by both the V-SRT (R[exponent]2 = 0.7764, p = 0.0204) and Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) (R[exponent]2 = 0.7324, p = 0.0297), but not within non-atrophic hippocampus (V-SRT: R2 = 0.1013, p = 0.4424; PIQ: R[exponent]2 = 0.2303, p = 0.2288). These data suggest that elevated basal glutamate levels in the epileptogenic hippocampus may be implicated in the pathogenesis of hippocampal atrophy and may contribute to impaired cognitive functioning involving verbal memory and visual-spatial skills in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 231 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Univ., 2008. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.Sc.). / Written for the School of Computer Science. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/05/30). Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2008. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Proefschrift--Nijmegen.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1981. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-78).