Clinical efficacy of Baijin pills in the treatment of generalized tonicclonic seizure epilepsy with cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND The generalized tonic-clonic seizure(GTCS)is the most usual variety of epileptic seizure.It is mainly characterized by strong body muscle rigidity,loss of consciousness,a disorder of plant neurofunction,and significant damage to cognitive function.The effect of antiepileptic drugs on cognition should also be considered.At present,there is no effective treatment for patients with epilepsy,but traditional Chinese medicine has shown a significant effect on chronic disease with fewer harmful side effects and should,therefore,be considered for the therapy means of epilepsy with cognitive dysfunction.AIM To investigate the clinical efficacy of Baijin pills for treating GTCS patients with cognitive impairment.METHODS This prospective study enrolled patients diagnosed with GTCS between January 2020 and December 2023 and separate them into two groups(experimental and control)using random number table method.The control group was treated with sodium valproate,and the experimental group was Baijin pills and sodium valproate for three months.The frequency and duration of each seizure,the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale(MoCA),and the Quality of Life Rating Scale(QOLIE-31)were recorded before and after treatment.RESULTS There were 85 patients included(42 in the control group and 43 in the experimental group).After treatment,the seizure frequency in the experimental group was significantly reduced(P<0.05),and seizure duration was shortened(P<0.01).The total MoCA score in the experimental group significantly increased compared to before treatment(P<0.01),and the sub-item scores,except naming and abstract generalization ability,significantly increased(P<0.05),whereas the total MoCA score in the control group significantly decreased after treatment(P<0.05).The QOLIE-31 score of the experimental group increased significantly after treatment compared to before treatment(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Baijin pills have a good clinical effect on epilepsy with cognitive dysfunction.

Altered relationship between thickness and intrinsic activity amplitude in generalized tonic–clonic seizures

A thinner cortex has higher potential for binding GABA receptor A which is associated with larger amplitudes of intrinsic brain activity(i BA). However, the relationship between cortical thickness and i BA is unknown in intact and epileptic brains. To this end, we investigated the relationship between cortical thickness measured by highresolution MRI and surface-based i BA derived from resting-state functional MRI in normal controls(n = 82) andpatients with generalized tonic–clonic seizures(GTCS)only(n = 82). We demonstrated that the spatial distribution of cortical thickness negatively correlated with surface-based i BA amplitude at both whole-brain and within independent brain functional networks. In GTCS patients,spatial coupling between thickness and i BA amplitude decreased in the default mode, dorsal attention, and somatomotor networks. In addition, the vertex-wise acrosssubject thickness–i BA amplitude correspondence altered in the frontal and temporal lobes as well as in the precuneus in GTCS patients. The relationship between these two modalities can serve as a brain-based marker for detecting epileptogenic changes.

Long-term outcomes and prognosis factors of vagus nerve stimulation in patients with refractory epilepsy

Background:Vagus nerve stimulation(VNS)is an effective treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy,yet with varied predictive factors and heterogeneous long-term outcomes.Adjustment of VNS parameters is critical for obtaining favorable efficacy.In this study,we aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes and the possible predictive factors of VNS in patients with refractory epilepsy.Methods:Eighty-six patients(59 males and 27 females)who underwent VNS implantation for treatment of refractory epilepsy between May 2016 and May 2017 at five Epilepsy Centers were enrolled.The clinical data,including sex,age at epilepsy onset,VNS implantation,epilepsy duration,seizure type,MRI findings,history of neurosurgical operations,and responder rate(responders were those with≥50%seizure reduction),were analyzed.Results:Four-year follow-up data were available for 76 patients(53 males and 23 females).The mean current intensity at the last follow-up was 1.8±0.3 mA(range:0.75–2.5 mA).The mean seizure reduction was 36.2%at 6 months,38.5%at 1 year,69.4%at 3 years,and 56.7%at 4 years.A favorable outcome of≥50%reduction in seizure frequency occurred in 40.0%of the patients at 6 months,55.9%at 1 year with 4 patients being seizure-free,63.2%at 3 years with 5 patients being seizure-free,and 68.4%at 4 years with 5 patients being seizure-free.Earlier onset age(P<0.001)and shorter duration(P=0.042)were associated with favorable prognosis.Compared with generalized tonicclonic seizures,tonic seizures had a favorable outcome(P=0.026).Twenty-three patients underwent neurosurgical operations before VNS implantation,and the responder rate was 60.9%at the last follow-up.Conclusions:VNS is an adjunctive and effective treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy who are not good candidates for surgical resection or have failed to respond to surgical treatment.The stimulation efficacy increases over time after implantation,and earlier exposure to VNS improves the prognosis.