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Our new paper came out on New Year's Eve! @UCLANeurology looked at patients' and loved-ones' descriptions of seizures and quantitatively analyzed which descriptions were more common in #dissociative/ #functional seizures as compared to #epilepsy.
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1cK%7EO5Qt1GrgqR
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1cK%7EO5Qt1GrgqR
This is an extension to our prior work building the dissociative seizures likelihood score (DSLS), because we didn't have enough reliable data to look into these additional factors. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5845850/
Key takeaways for associations with #dissociative/ #functional seizures include *pre*-ictal headache (not post-), ictal sensory symptoms, and seizures triggered by emotional stress. Seizures triggered by general stress were common in both #epilepsy and #dissociative seizures.
In addition to ruling-in #dissociative seizures, we need to rule-in #epilepsy! Deja-vu, left eye deviation (not head), and seizures triggered by missing antiseizure medications were associated with #epilepsy.
This information helps improve the quality of the verbal history provided by patients. While you need #EEG, #MRI, and probably video-EEG to diagnose, this can help identify patients earlier and shorten time to diagnosis. If you're concerned about #dissociative seizures, refer!
