What is it about?
Researchers from University of Toronto have developed a new approach to studying brain wave patterns that may offer vital clues into the mechanisms behind Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). By using a method called wavelet phase coherence, the team has uncovered significant differences in brain activity during epileptic seizures that could lead to better prevention strategies.
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Why is it important?
We were guided by the finding that contractions originating in the brainstem are distinct from those originating in the motor cortex. Given that the brainstem is implicated in SUDEP cases, it was natural to examine electromuscular effects, which unfortunately are not routinely recorded in epilepsy monitoring units. We were successful in extracting scalp muscle activity from EEG, and fortunately that distinguished patients with high risk for SUDEP.
Perspectives
The motivation behind the study was to develop a risk assessment for sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy in order to alleviate the fear that dominates the lives of patients with epilepsy. Our next steps will to make this clinically relevant by increasing the sample size. Ultimately, our goal is to provide a better quality of life for patients with epilepsy.
Adam Gravitis
University of Toronto
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Wavelet phase coherence of ictal scalp EEG-extracted muscle activity (SMA) as a biomarker for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), PLOS One, August 2024, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298943.
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