Seizure Recurrence After Unprovoked First Seizure

Epilepsy, Single Seizure

Cognition, Mood, Brain Connectivity, Neuroimaging, Neurophysiology

One in 10 people have a seizure during their life. Usually no cause is identified. Seizures without an identified cause are called unprovoked first seizure (UFS). Most people with UFS do not have further seizures. Being able to predict the risk of more seizures as soon as possible would help doctors decide whether to suggest treatment after UFS. Studies show that seizures are associated with changes in brain structure and function that are difficult to detect with standard assessments but can be detected with advanced techniques. Changes in connections between brain regions are also linked to subtle problems in thinking and mood. The investigators will examine brain connections using detailed brain scans, thinking, and mood in people with UFS and develop an accurate method for calculating the risk of further seizures. 200 adult patients and 75 matched healthy controls from the Halifax and Kingston First Seizure Clinics will undergo cognitive screening assessment of major cognitive domains, MRI imaging including structural scans, resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and EEG. Seizure recurrence will be assessed prospectively and a multimodal machine learning model will be trained to predict seizure recurrence at 12 months.

None listed

Canada