Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025
Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
Published on: April 11, 2019
Seizure control during the COVID-19 pandemic: Correlating Responsive Neurostimulation System data with patient
Cemal Karakas1, Ryan Ward2, Mohamed Hegazy2
1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA; Norton Children's Medical Group, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
Objective:
To understand the impact of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on seizure frequency in persons with epilepsy with a Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) system implanted.
Methods:
Weekly long episode counts (LEC) were used as a proxy for seizures for six months pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 period. Telephone surveys and chart reviews were conducted to assess patient mental health during the pandemic. The change in LEC between the two time periods was correlated to reported stressors.
Results:
Twenty patients were included. Comparing the pre-COVID-19 period to the COVID-19 period, we found that only 5 (25%) patients had increased seizures, which was positively correlated with change in anti-seizure medications (ASM, p = 0.03) and bitemporal seizures (p = 0.03). Increased seizures were not correlated to anxiety (p = 1.00), depression (p = 0.58), and sleep disturbances (p = 1.00). The correlation between RNS-detected and patient-reported seizures was poor (p = 0.32).
Conclusions:
Most of our patients did not have an increase in seizures following the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in ASM and bitemporal seizures were positively correlated to increased LEC. There was no correlation between pandemic-related stress and seizures in those found to have increased seizures.
Significance:
This is the first study correlating RNS-derived objective LECs with patient self-reports and potential seizure risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More Related Videos
08:23A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
05:19Author Spotlight: Therapeutic Benefit of Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation in Depression Treatment
Published on: July 7, 2023
Related Concept Videos
01:13Seizures: Classification
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:
01:24Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
01:30Electroconvulsive Therapy