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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
Published on: April 11, 2019
Psychiatric adverse events in patients with epilepsy and learning disabilities taking levetiracetam
Marco Mula1, Michael R Trimble, Josemir W A S Sander
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, UK. marcomula@yahoo.it
Purpose:
To investigate the prevalence and psychopathological features of psychiatric adverse events (PAEs) in patients with learning disabilities (LD) in therapy with levetiracetam (LEV).
Method:
From a population of 517 consecutively patients with epilepsy started on LEV, we identified 118 patients with epilepsy and LD.
Results:
Fifteen patients (12.7%) experienced PAEs during LEV therapy. Two (1.7%) developed an affective disorder, nine (7.6%) aggressive behaviour, two (1.7%) emotion lability and two (1.7%) other personality changes such as agitation, anger and hostile behaviour. We observed a significant association with a previous history of status epilepticus and a previous psychiatric history. We did not find a statistically significant association with epilepsy diagnosis, age at onset or duration of the epilepsy, EEG or MRI features. The titration schedule of LEV appeared not to be relevant.
Conclusions:
LEV therapy was well tolerated in patients with epilepsy and LD and the main problems were related to aggressive behaviour. The titration schedule of LEV was not relevant and a subgroup of patients appeared to be biologically more vulnerable.
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