Imaging brain networks in newly diagnosed epilepsy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Brain architecture and connectivity at epilepsy diagnosis: markers of cognitive dysfunction and pharmacoresistance
IRAS ID
260623
Contact name
Simon Keller
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Universtiy of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Epilepsy is one of the most common serious brain disorders; every day in the UK, 87 people are diagnosed with epilepsy, affecting over 600,000 people. The condition can be characterised by devastating seizures and cognitive problems, which severely affects a person's quality of life. The vast majority of existing work in human studies has been performed in chronic epilepsy. However, newly diagnosed epilepsy (NDE) is only rarely studied despite that this represents a key point in time to understand the underlying biology of epilepsy and identify potential treatments. If we can understand these reasons in the early stages of epilepsy, we may be able to predict which patients will continue to experience seizures despite standard drug therapy. If identified early, patients who will not respond to drug therapy could potentially have alternative or adjunctive treatments, saving time, cost, and the experience of undesirable side effects of certain anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).
The study will be the first to prospectively investigate brain structural and physiological architecture and connectivity in adults with NDE with overarching goals to (i) understand the neural basis of cognitive impairment and (ii) identify why and in whom seizures persist despite AED therapy. We will recruit adults with a new diagnosis of focal epilepsy and perform cognitive assessment, sophisticated analysis of MRI and EEG data and blood serum analysis. Patients will be followed up longitudinally to determine their response to AED therapy. MRI/EEG/blood data will be used to identify biomarkers of cognitive impairment and uncontrolled seizures after treatment. This work will be performed in an environment with demonstrated excellence in the care of people with epilepsy, recruitment of adults with NDE into clinical trials, and expertise in MRI and EEG analysis.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NW/0384
Date of REC Opinion
20 Aug 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion