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Markers of Antiseizure Treatment Efficacy in Children: A Review

Martyna Śliwińska1, Anna Rakuś-Kwiatosz1, Magdalena Chrościńska-Krawczyk2

  • 1Department of Neonate and Infant Pathology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland.

Journal of Clinical Medicine
|June 12, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Current methods for assessing epilepsy treatment efficacy, like patient-reported symptoms, are unreliable. More robust biomarkers are needed to guide antiseizure drug selection and dosage for better patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Epilepsy affects 70 million globally, necessitating effective antiseizure treatments.
  • Current diagnosis and treatment efficacy assessment rely heavily on subjective patient or witness symptom reporting, which has low reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and evaluate existing biomarkers for antiseizure drug efficacy.
  • To identify markers that can better support the treatment of epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • A review of available studies on antiseizure drug efficacy markers.
  • Analysis of differences in study designs, patient populations, and methodologies.

Main Results:

  • Significant heterogeneity across studies, including epilepsy types, patient criteria, and sample sizes, hindered comparisons.
  • Most trials focused on adult populations, with limited data on pediatric epilepsy.

Conclusions:

  • Antiseizure drug selection and dosage decisions are primarily based on clinical judgment and patient-caregiver relationships.
  • While electroencephalography (EEG) and antiseizure medication (ASM) concentrations are monitored, current methods are insufficient for definitive diagnostic and therapeutic guidance.

Keywords:
antiseizure treatment efficacyepilepsymarkersseizures

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