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Why do seizures impair consciousness and how can we reverse this?
Isabelle Lambert1, Fabrice Bartolomei2
1INSERM, INS, Institut de Neuroscience des Systèmes, Aix Marseille University.
Current Opinion in Neurology
|March 6, 2020
Summary
Disorders of consciousness during epilepsy seizures impact many patients. Recent research focuses on understanding awareness alterations and exploring brain stimulation for future treatments.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Epilepsy Research
Background:
- Consciousness disorders during seizures are a significant cause of disability in epilepsy patients.
- Understanding these disorders is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in assessing and understanding consciousness disorders in epilepsy.
- To highlight current theories and future therapeutic directions.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on consciousness disorders in epilepsy.
- Analysis of recent findings on alterations in awareness during seizures.
- Exploration of emerging brain stimulation techniques.
Main Results:
- Alterations in the level of awareness are the most common consciousness disturbances.
- These alterations are associated with disruptions in fronto-parietal associative networks during focal seizures and absences.
- Various theories attempt to explain these observed alterations.
Conclusions:
- While no direct treatment for consciousness exists, brain stimulation techniques show promise.
- Further research is needed to define optimal targets and parameters for brain stimulation in epilepsy.
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