Browsing by Subject "Epilepsies, Partial"

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    Nesfatin-1 and ghrelin levels in serum and saliva of epileptic patients: Hormonal changes can have a major effect on seizure disorders
    (2009) Aydin S.; Dag E.; Ozkan Y.; Erman F.; Dagli A.F.; Kilic N.; Sahin I.; Karatas F.; Yoldas T.; Barim A.O.; Kendir Y.
    Nesfatin-1 and ghrelin are the two recently discovered peptide hormones involved in the control of appetite. Besides its main appetite-control function, ghrelin also has anticonvulsant effects, while nesfatin-1 causes depolarization in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The aims of this study, therefore, were to investigate: (i) whether there are differences in the concentrations of nesfatin-1 and ghrelin in saliva and serum samples between eplilepsy patients and normal controls and (ii) whether salivary glands produce nesfatin-1. The study included a total of 73 subjects: 8 patients who were newly diagnosed with primary generalized seizures and had recently started antiepileptic drug therapy; 21 who had primary generalized seizures and were continuing with established antiepileptic drug therapy; 24 who had partial seizures (simple: n = 12 or complex: n = 12) and were continuing with established antiepileptic drug therapy; and 20 controls. Salivary gland tissue samples were analyzed for nesfatin-1 expression by immunochemistry and ELISA. Saliva and serum ghrelin levels were measured by ELISA and RIA, and nesfatin-1 levels by ELISA. Nesfatin-1 immunoreactivity was detected in the striated and interlobular parts of the salivary glands and the ducts. The nesfatin-1 level in the brain was around 12 times higher than in the salivary gland. Before antiepileptic treatment, both saliva and serum nesfatin-1 levels were around 160-fold higher in patients who are newly diagnosed with primary generalized epilepsy (PGE) than in controls; these levels decreased with treatment but remained about 10 times higher than the control values. Saliva and serum nesfatin-1 levels from patients with PGE and partial epilepsies who were continuing antiepileptic drugs were also 10-fold higher than control values. Serum and saliva ghrelin levels were significantly (twofold) lower in epileptic patients before treatment than in controls; they recovered somewhat with treatment but remained below the control values. These results suggest that the low ghrelin and especially the dramatically elevated nesfatin-1 levels might contribute to the pathophyisology of epilepsy. Therefore, serum and saliva ghrelin and especially the remarkably increased nesfatin-1 might be candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of epilepsy and for monitoring the response to anti-epileptic treatment. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2009.
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    Neurocognitive evaluation in children with occipital lobe epilepsy
    (2012) Polat M.; Gokben S.; Tosun A.; Serdaroglu G.; Tekgul H.
    Purpose: This study aimed to explore cognitive functions in patients with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (CEOP) and to compare the performance of these patients with that of patients with symptomatic occipital epilepsy (SOE) and healthy control subjects. Method: Twenty-eight patients with epilepsy (17 CEOP, 11 SOE) were enrolled. The control group had similar demographical characteristics. Cognitive functions evaluated with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-revised edition (WISC-R), The Visual Aural Digit Span (VADS) and Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BVMG). Results: The WISC-R showed lower performance IQ with WISC-R in patients with occipital epilepsy than in healthy controls. The VADS test only showed lower scores in children with symptomatic occipital epilepsy. Mean BVMG test scores were significantly abnormal in both subgroups of childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (early-onset CEOP/late-onset CEOP) and the group with SOE. Conclusion: Patients with CEOP, especially the late-onset form, have significant problems in the domains of visuomotor coordination, memory and attention. The academic performance of these patients should be monitored carefully in follow-up and appropriate educational support should be given as necessary. © 2012 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.