Dravet syndrome (DS) is a form of infantile-onset, treatment-resistant epilepsy. It is caused by a mutation in the gene encoding a voltage-gated sodium channel, SCN1A. DS patients have a 30-fold increased risk of dying from sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) compared to patients with other forms of pediatric-onset epilepsy.
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Franck Kalume and colleagues at the University of Washington characterized SUDEP in a mouse model of DS. Observation using video, electroencephalography, and electrocardiography revealed that a prolonged slowing of the heart beat preceded SUDEP in mice.
Epilepsy
Fits or convulsions or Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, involuntary seizures and is described as a chronic neurological disorder
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Treatment with with drugs that reduce activity in the parasympathetic nervous system reduced the incidence of SUDEP, suggesting that mortality results from seizure-related parasympathetic hyperactivity. In a companion Attending Physician, Orrin Devinsky and colleagues discuss how these results could relate to SUDEP in human DS patients.
Source: Eurekalert
Neurocysticercosis
Neurocysticercosis or Cysticercosis of brain is the most common cause of epilepsy and the most common parasitic infection of the brain. Neurocysticercosis is more common in the developing countries.
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 ConvulsionsSeizure or a convulsion is a result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. If there are two or more unprovoked seizures at an interval of at least 24 hours, it is referred to as epilepsy. | Advertisement
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