An unaware agenda: Interictal consciousness impairments in epileptic patients
Consciousness impairments have been described as a cornerstone of epilepsy. Generalized seizures are usually characterized by a complete loss of consciousness, while focal seizures have more variable degrees of responsiveness. In addition to these impairments that occur during ictal episodes, altera...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2017 |
| País: | Argentina |
| Institución: | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
| Repositorio: | CONICET Digital (CONICET) |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/59142 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/11336/59142 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Epilepsy Interictal Period Consciousness Impairments Therapy Thalamocortical Network Interictal Epileptic Discharges https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3.1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3 |
| Sumario: | Consciousness impairments have been described as a cornerstone of epilepsy. Generalized seizures are usually characterized by a complete loss of consciousness, while focal seizures have more variable degrees of responsiveness. In addition to these impairments that occur during ictal episodes, alterations of consciousness have also been repeatedly observed between seizures (i.e., during interictal periods). In this opinion paper, we review evidence supporting the novel hypothesis that epilepsy produces consciousness impairments which remain present interictally. Then, we discuss therapies aimed to reduce seizure frequency, which may modulate consciousness between epileptic seizures. We conclude with a consideration of relevant pathophysiological mechanisms. In particular, the thalamocortical network seems to be involved in both seizure generation and interictal consciousness impairments, which could inaugurate a promising translational agenda for epilepsy studies. |
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