View clinical trials related to Epileptic Encephalopathy.
Filter by:Early childhood is one of the periods of life in which the risk to develop epilepsy is highest. Besides, genetic causes are much more common in the young. Recently, an ever-increasing amount of genes has been found to be involved in numerous early-onset epilepsies. Thanks to next-generation sequencing (NGS), a diagnosis can now be reached in close to 50% of children with epilepsy and developmental delay. This, in turn, has led to the successful application of the concept of individualized treatment in a growing number of children with epilepsy. Genetic investigations have thus been progressively included in the routine work-up of children with early-onset epilepsies throughout the world, mostly in high-income countries up to now. As a result of a scientific collaboration between pediatric neurology divisions at University Hospitals Geneva (HUG), Switzerland, and Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Viet Nam, genetic testing of children with early-onset epilepsies followed at the pediatric neurology division, Children's Hospital 2 started at the genetics laboratory of the Vietnam National University in 2017. Aims: Our project aims at establishing the proportion of patients in whom a causal genetic finding can be identified, in a prospective cohort of children with Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEE) followed at Children's Hospital 2 (ND2). The investigators also aim at identifying the percentage of these children in whom this approach would change current management. Methods: A series of children diagnosed with DEE and followed at ND2 Hospital, enrolled consecutively. Exome sequencing was applied to all, with biostatistical analyses of a panel of 671 genes involved in epilepsies and developmental disorders performed in parallel at Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam National University and Geneva Genetic Medicine Division. Sanger sequencing confirmation of potentially causal variants in patients, and in parents for familial segregation. Comparison of Vietnamese and Swiss genetic findings, and multidisciplinary discussions in formal Genome Boards. Additional genetic investigations, if deemed necessary in Genome Board sessions. Clinical management adapted to genetic findings wherever applicable, and follow-up according to standard practice. One-hundred-and-fifty patients are expected to participate during the 3-year study period.
Electrical activity emerges in the third trimester of pregnancy, plays an important role in the construction of cortical maps, and is impaired in patients with severe early epileptic encephalopathies (EOEE). EOEE are rare and severe epileptic syndromes characterized by epilepsy that begins within the first three months of life and is associated with rapid deterioration of motor, cognitive and behavioral skills. There is a genetic basis for the EOEE. Together with other laboratories, the investigators have identified de novo pathogenic variants in the KCNQ2 gene encoding the Kv7.2 subunit of the Kv7 / M potassium channel, a channel known to control neuronal excitability in the brain and spinal cord. via the current M (IM). Pathogenic variants of the KCNQ2 gene represent the main cause of EOEE and the term KCNQ2-related epileptic encephalopathy (KCNQ2-REE) is now used to define this condition. KCNQ2-REE patients have a remarkably homogeneous phenotype at the start, with epilepsy that begins in the first days after birth, seizures that result in tonic muscle spasms that last from 1 to 10 seconds, and an interictal EEG called "suppression-burst". "That is, paroxysmal bursts of activity interspersed with periods of electrical silence. In this group, more than 50% of the patients present a remission of the epilepsy and a quasi-normalization of the EEG which can occur a few weeks to several months after the onset of the seizures. Despite this positive evolution in terms of seizures, the developmental progression is abnormal and the phenotype is severe with an absence of language, autistic behavior and a subsequent development of motor disorders such as diplegia, spasticity, ataxia or dystonia. The ambition of this project is to increase knowledge of epileptic encephalopathies linked to KCNQ2 at the clinical and molecular levels, to decipher the pathophysiological mechanisms and to propose therapeutic strategies. This project aims to better describe the clinical, EEG, imaging, developmental and long-term follow-up characteristics of patients carrying the KCNQ2 mutation identified in the laboratory.
Epilepsy is a chronic condition that requires consistent follow-up aimed at seizure control, surveillance of comorbidities, monitoring of antiepileptic drugs (AED) levels and side effects. Patients may encounter difficulties to be assessed adequately and the disease burden is increased by the need for travelling across the country for medical consultations. Driving restrictions are a further limit to access specialized Centers able to provide an integrated approach focused on patient needs. Telemedicine (TM) offers an invaluable support to patient follow-up, joining the sparse distribution of patients in the country with the prompt availability of a team of experts. The project assesses, through a randomized controlled trial, the non-inferiority of TM in monitoring seizure control compared to usual (face-to-face) care. This approach, coupled with a new self home-sampling method for the measurement of AED levels, will reduce health care costs and simplify patients management.
The researchers hope to explore the etiological distribution and influencing factors of KCNQ2-related neonatal convulsions or refractory epileptic encephalopathy, and to improve the level of assessment, identification, intervention and shunt of KCNQ2-related convulsions. To formulate countermeasures and measures for prevention, management and health education.
Prospective cohort study on the long-term effectiveness and safety of PINS vagus nerve stimulators for children and adolescent with refractory epilepsy.
Investigators at Boston Children's Hospital are conducting research in order to better understand the genetic factors which may contribute to epilepsy and related disorders. These findings may help explain the broad spectrum of clinical characteristics and outcomes seen in people with epilepsy.