Digital semiology and time-evolution pattern of bio-signals in focal onset motor seizures

Focal seizures constitute the most common seizure type and are associated with poor control. One of the major difficulties in detecting focal onset with wearable devices seizures is related to their phenomenological complexity. We aimed at capturing focal onset seizures with motor manifestations with a multimodal wearable device to identify the digital semiology and the evolution pattern of ictal manifestations.

Participants were asked to wear a multimodal wearable device (IMEC) aimed at seizure detection while admitted to an epilepsy monitoring unit. Seizures were labelled by a neurologist and start and offset time were noted. The signals captured by the device during the seizure window were plotted and a visual inspection was performed for focal motor seizures with impaired awareness and for focal motor aware seizures.

Fifty-three seizures from twelve patients with focal seizures with motor manifestations recorded with the device were visually inspected. Overall, a common pattern presented across focal motor seizures with impaired awareness and it was characterized by early cardiac manifestations followed by motor phenomena and final EDA response. Motor seizures with retained awareness appeared to be characterized by brief motor events not associated with major autonomic manifestations Conclusion: an overall common digital phenotype and time-evolution pattern was demonstrated for focal motor seizures with impaired awareness. The identification of the evolution pattern could more precisely inform the development of highly preforming algorithms opening the possibility to a more precise, and potentially customizable way to optimize focal seizure detection.