Treatment of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy in Patients of Child-Bearing Potential

Drug-resistant juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: A literature review

The ILAE's Task Force on Nosology and Definitions revised in 2022 its definition of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), the most common idiopathic generalized epilepsy disorder, but this definition may well change again in the future. Although good drug response could almost be a diagnostic criterion for JME, drug resistance (DR) is observed in up to a third of patients. It is important to distinguish this from pseudoresistance, which is often linked to psychosocial problems or psychiatric comorbidities. After summarizing these aspects and the various definitions applied to JME, the present review lists the risk factors for DR-JME that have been identified in numerous studies and meta-analyses. The factors most often cited are absence seizures, young age at onset, and catamenial seizures. By contrast, photosensitivity seems to favor good treatment response, at least in female patients. Current hypotheses on DR mechanisms in JME are based on studies of either simple (e.g., cortical excitability) or more complex (e.g., anatomical and functional connectivity) neurophysiological markers, bearing in mind that JME is regarded as a neural network disease. This research has revealed correlations between the intensity of some markers and DR, and above all shed light on the role of these markers in associated neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders in both patients and their siblings. Studies of neurotransmission have mainly pointed to impaired GABAergic inhibition. Genetic studies have generally been inconclusive. Increasing restrictions have been placed on the use of valproate, the standard antiseizure medication for this syndrome, owing to its teratogenic and developmental risks. Levetiracetam and lamotrigine are prescribed as alternatives, as is vagal nerve stimulation, and there are several other promising antiseizure drugs and neuromodulation methods. The development of better alternative treatments is continuing to take place alongside advances in our knowledge of JME, as we still have much to learn and understand.

Gender differences in quality of life and psychiatric comorbidities among persons with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: A single-center cross-sectional study

Objectives

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is the most common idiopathic generalized/genetic epilepsy syndrome. Gender differences are known in clinical presentation, with a well-identified female predilection. We aimed to study gender-based differences in quality of life (QoL) and psychiatric comorbidities among persons with JME.

Materials and Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a teaching hospital in Delhi, India. Persons above 11 years of age with JME diagnosed according to the International League Against Epilepsy criteria established in 2001 were enrolled. QoL assessment was made using Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-Adolescents-48 (QOLIE-AD-48) and Patient-Weighted Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory 31 (QOLIE-31-P) for adolescent and adult patients, respectively. For the assessment of psychiatric comorbidities, participants were administered the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I). Participants who tested positive for psychiatric comorbidities on M.I.N.I subsequently underwent the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 categorization.

Results

We enrolled 50 patients with JME. Eighteen (36%) were male and 32 (64%) were female patients. The median age of males at study enrollment was 23.5 (range 15-38) years. The median age of females was 22 (16-48) years. The median QOLIE-31-P score among males was 68.31 (37.13-91.82) and for females was 66.9 (31.7-99.1). The median overall QoL score for males was 65 (25-87.5), which qualified as "fair" QoL. For females, the median overall QoL score was 62.5 (10-87.5) which also qualified as "fair" QoL. No significant difference was noted between genders in QoL (P = 0.723). Among males, 55.5% had psychiatric comorbidity. Of these, two had mild depression and eight had anxiety. Among female patients, 34.4% had comorbid psychiatric issues; 6 had anxiety and 5 had depression. No significant difference was noted between genders (P = 0.9136).

Conclusion

Persons with JME do not have gender-stratified differences in terms of psychiatric comorbidities and QoL despite differences in exposure to antiseizure medications and other gender-related factors. All persons with JME should be screened for psychiatric comorbidities, specifically anxiety, and depression.

Idiopathic generalized epilepsies: Which seizure type is more difficult to control?

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the current study was to investigate that which seizure type is more difficult to be brought under control with antiseizure medication treatment in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE).

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of a large database of patients with epilepsy, which was built over more than a decade. All patients with a diagnosis of IGE, with at least 12 months of follow-up at our center, were studied at the epilepsy center at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, from 2008 until 2022.

RESULTS

358 patients were included. The seizure types were generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCSs) (in 87.2%), myoclonic seizures (in 57.5%), and absence seizures (in 51.7%). Among patients who had GTCSs (N = 312), 160 patients (51.3%) became free of this seizure type. Among patients who had myoclonic seizures (N = 206), 122 patients (59.2%) became seizure-free. Among patients who had absences (N = 185), 127 patients (68.6%) became seizure-free. The difference between the groups was significant (p = 0.0007). Receiving valproate was significantly associated with a myoclonus-free status (compared with other drugs).

SIGNIFICANCE

The likelihood of achieving seizure control is different for various seizure types in patients with IGE (achievement of seizure control is less likely for GTCSs and more likely for absences). Antiseizure drug efficacy should be considered along with other variables (e.g., sex) when selecting an ASM for a patient with IGE. Specifically designed clinical trials are needed to develop more efficacious and safe drugs to treat various syndromes of IGE.

Seizure outcome trajectories in a well-defined cohort of newly diagnosed juvenile myoclonic epilepsy patients

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the temporal course of medication response and associated prognostic factors in a cohort of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) patients over a long-term follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from 113 JME patients diagnosed according to recently proposed class II criteria were retrospectively reviewed. Early sustained remission was defined as 4-year seizure remission starting within 2 years from the first antiseizure medication (ASM) intake, as opposed to delayed sustained remission. Spontaneous relapse rate (ie, not related to ASM withdrawal) was also investigated, along with factors associated with seizure relapse.

RESULTS

Four-year seizure remission was obtained by 76/113 (67.3%) subjects. Early sustained remission was achieved by 45/76 (59.2%) patients. Absence seizures were significantly associated with no-remission at multivariable multinomial logistic regression analysis. Catamenial seizures and earlier age at epilepsy onset significantly predicted delayed sustained remission. Spontaneous seizure relapse after 4-year remission occurred in 15.7% of patients with early sustained remission and in 35.5% of those with delayed sustained remission (p = 0.045). The most common concomitant factors for a spontaneous relapse were irregular lifestyle habits and pregnancy-related switch from valproate to another ASM. Patients with a history of catamenial seizures were more likely to experience a spontaneous generalized tonic-clonic seizure relapse after 4-year remission at univariable analysis.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our data support the prognostic relevance of early medication response in JME patients. Furthermore, the prognostic significance of catamenial seizures and the impact of valproate switch on seizure relapse after a prolonged remission account for the challenging therapeutic management of women with childbearing potential.

Pregnancy and the Control of Epileptic Seizures: A Review

Over the past 50 years, published studies have provided quantitative data on the control of epileptic seizures during pregnancy. The studies have varied in quality, and particularly in the ways in which seizure control has been assessed. However, most studies have shown that seizure occurrence rates are more likely to worsen than improve during pregnancy, though in most pregnancies the rates have been unaltered. Nearly all of the studies have involved women with antiseizure medication-treated epilepsy, but there is a little evidence that seizure control also tends to worsen in pregnancies of women with untreated epilepsy. The factors likely to contribute to the seizure worsening are (i) patient non-compliance, (ii) increased antiseizure medication clearance during pregnancy resulting in lower circulating drug concentrations relative to dose, (iii) the effects of the higher female sex hormone levels during pregnancy, oestrogens being pro-epileptogenic and progesterone anti-epileptogenic, and (iv) reluctance to use the potential teratogen valproate in women capable of pregnancy, depriving them of the most effective drug for certain types of epilepsy. Compliance can be encouraged, but at the present time only one other factor is readily correctable, i.e. the increased drug clearance. This can be compensated for by raising antiseizure medication dosage during pregnancy, guided by measurement of circulating drug concentrations. This course of action appears to reduce the chance of seizure disorder worsening during pregnancy, but so far it has not provided a complete solution to the issue.

Clinical and electroencephalogram characteristics and treatment outcomes in children with benign epilepsy and centrotemporal spikes

BACKGROUND

Epilepsy is a syndrome characterized by transient, rigid, paroxysmal, and repetitive central nervous system dysfunction. Prevention, control, and improvement of cognitive and behavioral dysfunction are of great significance for improving the patients’ intellectual development and quality of life. Electroencephalograms (EEG) can predict an accelerated decline in cognitive function.

AIM

To determine the clinical and EEG characteristics and treatment results of benign epilepsy in spiking children.

METHODS

A total of 106 cases of benign epilepsy in children with myocardial spines treated at our hospital from January 2017 to January 2020 were selected. Differences in clinical data and EGG characteristics between treatment-effective/-ineffective patients were analyzed, and children’s intellectual development before and after treatment evaluated using the Gesell Development Diagnostic Scale.

RESULTS

EEG showed that the discharge proportion in the awake and sleep periods was 66.04%, and the peak/peak discharge was mainly single-sided, accounting for 81.13%, while the discharge generalization accounted for 31.13%. There was no significant difference in any of these variables between sexes and ages (P > 0.05). The proportion of patients with early onset (< 5 years old) and seizure frequency > 3 times/half a year was 40.00% and 60.00%, respectively; the incidence rate and seizure frequency in the younger age group (< 5 years old) were significantly higher than those in the treatment-effective group (P < 0.05), while the discharge index was significantly lower than that in the treatment-effective group (P < 0.05). The discharge index was negatively correlated with fine motor skill and language development (r = -0.274 and -0.247, respectively; P < 0.05), but not with the rest (P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that low age onset (< 5 years old) and seizure frequency were the factors affecting ineffective-treatment of benign epilepsy in children (odds ratio = 11.304 and 5.784, respectively; P < 0.05). The discharge index of the responsive group after treatment was significantly lower than that of the unresponsive group (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between groups after treatment in gross and fine motor skills, adaptability, language, and personal social development (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The EEG of children with benign epilepsy due to spinal wave in central time zone has characteristic changes, and the therapeutic effect is influenced by age of onset and attack frequency.

Topiramate for juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

BACKGROUND

Topiramate is a newer broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug (AED). Some studies have shown the benefits of topiramate in the treatment of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). However, there are no current systematic reviews to determine the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate in people with JME. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2015, and last updated in 2019.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate in the treatment of JME.

SEARCH METHODS

For the latest update, we searched the Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS Web) on 26 August 2021, and MEDLINE (Ovid 1946 to 26 August 2021). CRS Web includes randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials from PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and the Specialized Registers of Cochrane Review Groups, including Cochrane Epilepsy.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating topiramate versus placebo or other AED treatment for people with JME, with the outcomes of proportion of responders and proportion of participants experiencing adverse events (AEs).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently screened the titles and abstracts of identified records, selected studies for inclusion, extracted data, cross-checked the data for accuracy and assessed the methodological quality of the studies.

MAIN RESULTS

We included three studies with a total of 83 participants. For efficacy, a greater proportion of participants in the topiramate group had a 50% or greater reduction in primarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures (PGTCS), compared with participants in the placebo group (RR 4.00, 95% CI 1.08 to 14.75; 1 study, 22 participants; very low-certainty evidence). There were no significant differences between topiramate and valproate for participants responding with a 50% or greater reduction in myoclonic seizures (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.15; one study, 23 participants; very-low certainty evidence) or in PGTCS (RR 1.22, 95% CI 0.68 to 2.21; one study, 16 participants, very-low certainty evidence), or participants becoming seizure-free (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.61 to 2.11; one study, 27 participants; very-low certainty evidence). Concerning tolerability, we ranked AEs associated with topiramate as moderate to severe, while we ranked 59% of AEs linked to valproate as severe complaints (2 studies, 61 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Moreover, systemic toxicity scores were higher in the valproate group than the topiramate group. Overall we judged all three studies to be at high risk of attrition bias and at unclear risk of reporting bias. We judged the studies to be at low to unclear risk of bias for the remaining domains (selection bias, performance bias, detection bias and other bias). We judged the overall certainty of the evidence for the outcomes as very low using the GRADE approach.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We have found no new studies since the last version of this review was published in 2019. This review does not provide sufficient evidence to support topiramate for the treatment of people with JME. Based on the current limited available data, topiramate seems to be better tolerated than valproate, but has no clear benefits over valproate in terms of efficacy. Well-designed, double-blind RCTs with large samples are required to test the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate in people with JME.

Prolonged epileptic discharges predict seizure recurrence in JME: Insights from prolonged ambulatory EEG

Objective

Markers of seizure recurrence are needed to personalize antiseizure medication (ASM) therapy. In the clinical practice, EEG features are considered to be related to the risk of seizure recurrence for genetic generalized epilepsies (GGE). However, to our knowledge, there are no studies analyzing systematically specific EEG features as indices of ASM efficacy in GGE. In this study, we aimed at identifying EEG indicators of ASM responsiveness in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME), which, among GGE, is characterized by specific electroclinical features.

Methods

We compared the features of prolonged ambulatory EEG (paEEG, 22 h of recording) of JME patients experiencing seizure recurrence within a year (“cases”) after EEG recording, with those of patients with sustained seizure freedom for at least 1 year after EEG (“controls”). We included only EEG recordings of patients who had maintained the same ASM regimen (dosage and type) throughout the whole time period from the EEG recording up to the outcome events (which was seizure recurrence for the “cases”, or 1‐year seizure freedom for “controls”). As predictors, we evaluated the total number, frequency, mean and maximum duration of epileptiform discharges (EDs) and spike density (i.e. total EDs duration/artifact‐free EEG duration) recorded during the paEEG. The same indexes were assessed also in standard EEG (stEEG), including activation methods.

Results

Both the maximum length and the mean duration of EDs recorded during paEEG significantly differed between cases and controls; when combined in a binary logistic regression model, the maximum length of EDs emerged as the only valid predictor. A cut‐off of EDs duration of 2.68 seconds discriminated between cases and controls with a 100% specificity and a 93% sensitivity. The same indexes collected during stEEG lacked both specificity and sensitivity.

Significance

The occurrence of prolonged EDs in EEG recording might represent an indicator of antiepileptic drug failure in JME patients.

Response to levetiracetam or lamotrigine in subjects with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy previously treated with valproic acid: A single center retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Valproic acid (VPA) is the most effective medication in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) but, due to its teratogenic potential, levetiracetam (LEV) and lamotrigine (LTG) are preferred in women of childbearing age. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of LEV and LTG monotherapy in patients with a previous good seizure control in VPA monotherapy, in which VPA was withdrawn because of teratogenic potential or adverse drug effects.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 65 patients with JME which had been followedup at the Epilepsy Center of Pisa University Hospital, identifying 28 subjects who had been successfully treated with VPA monotherapy and who were shifted to another monotherapy. The second monotherapy was LEV for 14 subjects and LTG for the remaining 14 ones. Drug efficacy was measured in terms of seizure freedom for more than twelve months after reaching the minimum effective or the highest tolerated dose.

RESULTS

In terms of seizure control, our analysis showed a significantly better outcome for LEV compared to LTG (14.3% and 71.4% of seizure relapse, respectively, p = 0.006) monotherapy. Such a higher efficacy was confirmed in those subjects with seizure relapse on LTG, who achieved good seizure control after switching to LEV monotherapy (89% of cases). Concerning tolerability, none of the patients reported severe side effects.

CONCLUSION

Although obtained in a small case series, our analysis showed a significant better efficacy of LEV compared to LTG in monotherapy, in patients with JME with a good response to VPA, concerning both myoclonic and generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Outcomes of low-dose valproic acid treatment in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

PURPOSE

There are conflicting data regarding the drug dose that is sufficient to achieve seizure control as well as the parameters of seizure remission in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). The present study aimed to identify factors that contribute to seizure control in JME and to evaluate factors associated with JME remission and the efficacy of low-dose valproic acid (VPA) therapy.

METHODS

This retrospective, cross-sectional study included a total of 215 patients (121 female and 94 male; mean age: 28.03 ± 8.43 [14-59] years) diagnosed with JME. The patients were divided into remission and refractory groups. Remission was defined as a seizure-free (myoclonic, absence, and/or generalized tonic-clonic) period of at least 2 years. Patients in whom remission was achieved with VPA monotherapy were further divided into two groups according to the use of low-dose VPA therapy (VPA ≤ 750 mg/day and >750 mg/day). Potential contributing factors were evaluated in terms of the relationship between the dose and the remission parameters.

RESULTS

Remission was achieved with VPA monotherapy in 116 patients (87.9%) in the remission group; the VPA dose was ≤750 mg in 77.6% of the patients. The dose of VPA was higher in patients with absence seizure who achieved remission (p = 0.026). Remission was achieved with a lower dose of VPA in females than in males (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Low-dose VPA can be used to achieve remission in JME. However, identification at follow-up visits of the factors that may affect remission may change the planned effective dose of VPA.