scholarly journals Levetiracetam and Memory Loss

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Alshammari

Epilepsy is defined as a chronic disorder that causes a sudden rush of electrical activities in the brain. These seizures may be partial or general. While fractional annexations affect a solitary part of the brain, comprehensive seizures distress the entire brain and its activities. There exist myriad options for seizure treatment. Use of Keppra, the brand name for Levetiracetam, is one of the most adopted forms of treatment. These seizures are generally caused by low blood sugar, alcohol withdrawal as well as head trauma. For one to be prescribed seizure drugs, signs such as simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures as well as general seizures must be present. There are other options for managing seizures such as brain surgery, adopting a Ketogenic diet and anti-epileptic drugs. Levetiracetam is typically prescribed as an add-on to these seizure drugs to boost their effectiveness and as well en- sure improved quality of life. While essential resources and information are recommending the use of Levetiracetam, there are also sources discrediting the drug with evidence of causing memory loss and reduced quality of life. Therefore, this study aims at collecting information from different scholarly articles, journals, and websites about the side effects of using Levetiracetam in different populations. After the data is explored, the study offers a comprehensive conclusion based on the information available. The study, therefore, affirms that the use of Levetiracetam improves the quality of life and it does not affect or interfere with the cognitive functions of the brain. The study seeks to demystify the linking of Levetiracetam to memory loss of its users.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1249-1253
Author(s):  
Elham Alshammari

Epilepsy is defined as a chronic disorder that causes a sudden rush of electrical activities in the brain. These seizures may be partial or general. While fractional annexations affect a solitary part of the brain, comprehensive seizures distress the entire brain and its activities. There exist myriad options for seizure treatment. Use of Keppra, the brand name for Levetiracetam, is one of the most adopted forms of treatment. These seizures are generally caused by low blood sugar, alcohol withdrawal as well as head trauma. For one to be prescribed seizure drugs, signs such as simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures as well as general seizures must be present. There are other options for managing seizures such as brain surgery, adopting a Ketogenic diet and anti-epileptic drugs. Levetiracetam is typically prescribed as an add-on to these seizure drugs to boost their effectiveness and as well ensure improved quality of life. While essential resources and information are recommending the use of Levetiracetam, there are also sources discrediting the drug with evidence of causing memory loss and reduced quality of life. Therefore, this study aims at collecting information from different scholarly articles, journals, and websites about the side effects of using Levetiracetam in different populations. After the data is explored, the study offers a comprehensive conclusion based on the information available. The study, therefore, affirms that the use of Levetiracetam improves the quality of life and it does not affect or interfere with the cognitive functions of the brain. The study seeks to demystify the linking of Levetiracetam to memory loss of its users.


Author(s):  
Clayton L. Haldeman ◽  
John S. Kuo

Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors (DNETs) are World Health Organization grade I tumors and have a low potential for malignant transformation. However, DNETs often affect a patient’s quality of life and can cause medically intractable seizures. The estimated prevalence of DNET is 0.6% to .0.8%; however, they are found in approximately 20% of patients undergoing surgery for epilepsy. Greater than 90% of patients with DNET have onset of epilepsy prior to the age of 20. The most common presentations of DNET are complex partial seizures and simple partial seizures. Generalized tonic–clonic seizures are present in about 50% of patients. Patients are often seizure-free after surgical resection.


1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (19) ◽  
pp. 75-76

Lamotrigine (Lamictal – Wellcome) is a new antiepileptic drug. It is licensed as ‘add-on’ treatment for patients with partial seizures, either localised to one part of the brain or spreading to tonic-clonic seizures (secondarily generalised), who are not satisfactorily controlled with first-line drugs. The manufacturer claims that it “offers the hope of an improved quality of life” while having “a low level of clinically significant side-effects”. We examine these claims.


Author(s):  

ABSTRACT:Objective:The safety, tolerability, efficacy, and impact on quality of life of gabapentin (Neurontin®) as adjunctive therapy to carbamazepine (CBZ) and/or phenytoin (PHT) was assessed in epileptic patients with partial seizures.Methods:NEON (Neurontin Evaluation of Outcomes in Neurological Practice) was an open-label, prospective, multicentre study conducted in patients on a stable dose of CBZ and/or PHT and experiencing an average of up to 4 complex partial seizures with or without secondary generalization per month, with no seizure-free months. The treatment lasted 20 weeks. Gabapentin was started at 400 mg/day and was individually titrated to effective tolerable dose up to 2400 mg/day. Quality of life was evaluated using the QOLIE-10 questionnaire.Results:A total of 141 patients were enrolled at 36 sites; 114 patients were evaluable for efficacy analyses. The mean maintenance dose of gabapentin was 1600 mg/day (range = 300-3200). A decrease of 50% or more in frequency of complex partial + secondarily generalized seizures was observed in 81 (71 %) patients (p = 0.0001). Fifty two (46%) patients were seizure-free during the last 8 weeks of treatment. A significant improvement (p < 0.05) was observed in 5 of the 10 questions of the QOLIE-10, as well as in the composite QOL score (p = 0.0002). The most frequent adverse events included somnolence (16%), dizziness (9%), and asthenia (6%). Twenty-five (18%) patients prematurely discontinued the study, 16 (11%) of them due to adverse events.Conclusion:This study indicates that treatment with gabapentin as adjunctive therapy to standard antiepileptic drugs in this group of patients not only provides significant improvement in seizure control, but also has a positive impact on quality of life. The clinical benefits in efficacy, safety and tolerability demonstrated at 20 weeks are sustained, and no tolerance develops with gabapentin in longer term use.


1997 ◽  
Vol XXIX (1-2) ◽  
pp. 30-33
Author(s):  
V. A. Karlov ◽  
P. N. Vlasov ◽  
А. О. Khabibova

There was analyzed dynamics of morbidity in 65 epileptic patients with the help of severity scale of epileptic seizures, accounting method of recovering percentage, index of quality of life. The highest value on scale was obtained during complex partial seizures, transferring into secondly generalized (15 points), the lowest during typical absentia epileptica (1 point). When mixing some epileptic seizures the total sum of points achieved 34 points. Percentage of improvements was counted in 6 months after correction of therapy. Quality of life was evaluated by 5-point analogue scale, developed by the authors and tested in temporal epilepsy.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Greeson

Objective: To briefly review the effects of mindfulness on the mind, the brain, the body, and behavior. Methods: Selective review of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases (2003—2008) using the terms ``mindfulness,'' ``meditation,'' ``mental health,'' ``physical health,'' ``quality of life,'' and ``stress reduction.'' A total of 52 exemplars of empirical and theoretical work were selected for review. Results: Both basic and clinical research indicate that cultivating a more mindful way of being is associated with less emotional distress, more positive states of mind, and better quality of life. In addition, mindfulness practice can influence the brain, the autonomic nervous system, stress hormones, the immune system, and health behaviors, including eating, sleeping, and substance use, in salutary ways. Conclusion: The application of cutting-edge technology toward understanding mindfulness— an ``inner technology''—is elucidating new ways in which attention, awareness, acceptance, and compassion may promote optimal health—in mind, body, relationships, and spirit.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roheela Yasmeen ◽  
Nida Mobeen ◽  
Muhammad Amjad Khan ◽  
Irfan Aslam ◽  
Samia Chaudhry

Epilepsy which is also called seizures disorder is an uncontrolled action of the central nervous system. Itis not a single disease but a set of neurological disorders. Actually in this situation, the brain does notreceive a precise signal and as a result an abnormal condition is produced that is usually involuntary inaction. In this review, we aimed to focus on the relationship of anti-epileptic drugs with sexual dysfunctionand adaptation of better remedies that improve a patient’s family life. Sexual dysfunction is a commoncomorbidity in people with epilepsy which badly affects their quality of life. Sexual dysfunction is causedby different factors like psychiatric problems, anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) and social factors etc. Sexualdysfunctions include ejaculatory failure, lessen libido, penile erection in men and irregular menstrual cyclein women. Common drugs such as Topiramate, Gabapentin (GBP), Valproate (VA), Carbamazepine (CBZ),Olanzapine (OL) and Risperidone (RTG) that are in practice to treat epilepsy usually produced adverseeffect on sexual dysfunction. Even though a lot of studies have been carried out to control sexualdysfunction in epilepsy’s patient, but still research is going on. Medicine such as Cyproheptadine,Mianserin, Buspirone, Yohimbine were found better to treat epilepsy with minimum side effects of sexualdysfunction. Moreover, it is also seen that certain vasodilators, folate , and vitamin supplements areeffective in improving the quality of life.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Buhagiar ◽  
Melinda Fitzgerald ◽  
Jason Bell ◽  
Fiona Allanson ◽  
Carmela Pestell

Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) results from an external force to the head or body causing neurophysiological changes within the brain. The number and severity of symptoms can vary, with some individuals experiencing rapid recovery, and others having persistent symptoms for months to years, impacting their quality of life. Current rehabilitation is limited in its ability to treat persistent symptoms and novel approaches are being sought to improve outcomes following mTBI. Neuromodulation is one technique used to encourage adaptive neuroplasticity within the brain.Objective: To systematically review the literature on the efficacy of neuromodulation in the mTBI population.Method: A systematic review was conducted using Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and EBM Review. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis reporting guidelines were used and a narrative review of the selected studies was completed. Fourteen articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria which were published in English, investigating an adult sample and using a pre- and post-intervention design. Studies were excluded if they included non-mild TBI severities, pediatric or older adult populations.Results: Thirteen of fourteen studies reported positive reductions in mTBI symptomatology following neuromodulation. Specifically, improvements were reported in post-concussion symptom ratings, headaches, dizziness, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, general disability, cognition, return to work and quality of life. Normalization of working memory activation patterns, vestibular field potentials, hemodynamics of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and excessive delta wave activity were also seen. The studies reviewed had several methodological limitations including small, heterogenous samples and varied intervention protocols, limiting generalisability. Further research is required to understand the context in which neuromodulation may be beneficial.Conclusions: While these positive effects are observed, limitations included unequal representation of neuromodulation modalities in the literature, and lack of literature describing the efficacy of neuromodulation on the development or duration of persistent mTBI symptoms. Better clarity regarding neuromodulation efficacy could have a significant impact on mTBI patients, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers, facilitating a more productive post-mTBI population. Despite the limitations, the literature indicates that neuromodulation warrants further investigation. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020161279.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 588-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjørn Grinde

The evolutionary perspective is relevant for the study of quality of life in that the brain, including its capacity for positive and negative states of mind, has been shaped by the forces of evolution. The present text uses this perspective to discuss three questions related to the observation that human interactions are a particular important factor for well-being: (1) What is known about the inherent nature of our social propensities? (2) Is the present situation responsible for a suboptimal quality of life? (3) Are there alternatives to the organization of mainstream Western society? Based on this discussion, the question is raised as to whether it is possible to suggest improvements. Briefly, it seems possible to create conditions that enhance social relations and to the extent that happiness is considered an important objective, this is a relevant endeavor.


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