Cognitive Effects of Lacosamide in Patients with Drug Refractory Focal Epilepsy: A Prospective Observational Study

Objectives: This study was conducted to obtain data on the cognitive effects of lacosamide in Indian population. Methodology: An open labelled prospective observational study in 22 patients who suffered from focal epilepsy. Results: All the pre and post lacosamide cognition scores showed statistically significant positive correlation in this study. Average initial seizure frequency per month was 3.56 (SD 2.58) and median frequency 2.5 seizures per month. Range being 1-8 per month. At the final follow-up at 6months, 87.5% of the study subjects had no seizures. In the remaining12.5% of patients, reduction in seizure frequency was observed. The difference in frequency is statistically significant (Wilcoxon Signed Ranks TestP <0.001). Conclusion: Excellent seizure control is observed in patients with refractory focal epilepsy treated with lacosamide. Also, lacosamide has no serious adverse effects or drug interactions. In this study, it is observed that unlike many AEDs, lacosamide contributed to significant improvement in cognition.

Cognitive and Linguistic Benefits of Aerobic Exercise: A State-of-the-Art Systematic Review of the Stroke Literature

This systematic review aimed to determine how aerobic exercise affects cognition after stroke, with particular focus on aphasia and language improvement. Methodological quality was assessed with the PEDro+ scale with half of the 27 included studies rated as high quality. Data extraction focused on cognitive effects of aerobic exercise post-stroke, intervention characteristics, outcome measures, and participant characteristics. Whereas attention, memory, and executive functioning measures were common across the included studies, no study included a language-specific, performance-based measure. Seventeen studies reported positive cognitive effects, most frequently in the domains of attention, memory and executive functioning. Variability in outcome measures, intervention characteristics, and participant characteristics made it difficult to identify similarities among studies reporting positive cognitive effects of exercise or among those studies reporting null outcomes. Only three studies provided specific information about the number of individuals with aphasia included or excluded, who comprise approximately one-third of the stroke population. The review identified patent gaps in our understanding of how aerobic exercise may affect not only the cognitive domain of language post-stroke but also the broader cognitive functioning of individuals with post-stroke aphasia. Methodological limitations of the reviewed studies also warrant further examination of the direct impact of aerobic exercise on cognition post-stroke with careful attention to the selection and reporting of population, intervention, and outcomes.

The current status of singing in kindergartens in Norway

This study investigates the current situation regarding singing in Norwegian kindergartens. More specifically, how often kindergartens offer singing possibilities to children, in what situations singing is embedded, how valued singing is in such institutions, what singing methods and repertoires the teachers use, and whether teachers have certain underlying goals and beliefs connected to their use of singing. Furthermore, we are interested in whether there are contextual factors that influence the singing practice of a kindergarten/teacher. This exploratory cross-sectional study uses a web-based questionnaire, and the sample consists of 660 Norwegian kindergarten teachers. The statistical analyses cover standard descriptive and inferential statistics. The study’s main findings are as follows: (1) singing is highly valued in most kindergartens; (2) singing is done “very often” in most kindergartens, and the majority of teachers report that they sing with the children daily in a large variety of situations and using mainly Norwegian songs – however, the actual frequency and amount of singing depends on various factors; (3) one of the most important factors regarding singing praxis is musical expertise of teachers, regarding which most teachers rate themselves as below the population average; (4) the teachers mainly sing unaccompanied with the children; (5) they learn new songs mainly through streaming services; and (6) the teachers assume that singing leads to especially positive psychological, social, and cognitive effects on children.

Post-Stroke Quality of Life Perceived by Patients and Caregivers

The quality of life (QOL) of post-stroke patients can be assessed from the reports of patients themselves obtained through a structured interview or a questionnaire. However, some individuals are unable to comprehensively describe their QOL because of language disorders, cognitive effects caused by stroke, or pre-existing conditions. This study aims to identify differences in post-stroke QOL perception between patients and caregivers. A cross-sectional design involving 115 stroke patients and 115 caregivers was adopted, and Mann–Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. Results showed no significant difference in QOL perception (p = 0.166; α < 0.05), particularly in the physical (p = 0.278; α < 0.05), psychological (p = 0.068; α < 0.05), social relationship (p = 0.976; α < 0.05), and environmental (p = 0.157; α < 0.05) domains between patients and caregivers. Therefore, information from caregivers can be used to assess QOL when patients are incapable of reporting their condition. AbstrakKualitas Hidup Pasca Stroke yang Dipersepsikan oleh Pasien dan Caregiver. Kualitas hidup pasien pasca stroke dapat diketahui berdasarkan laporan dari pasien stroke dengan wawancara terstruktur atau dengan pengisian kuesioner. Namun, beberapa dari pasien stroke tidak dapat menggambarkan kualitas hidup mereka karena adanya gangguan bahasa dan efek kognitif lainnya akibat stroke atau kondisi yang sudah ada sebelumnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi perbedaan persepsi kualitas hidup antara perspektif pasien pasca stroke dan caregiver. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain cross sectional yang melibatkan 115 pasien dan 115 caregiver dengan menggunakan analisis statistik Mann Whitney. Hasil analisis menunjukkan tidak terdapat perbedaan secara signifikan antara persepsi kualitas hidup dari pasien dan caregiver (p = 0,166 ; α < 0,05), khususnya pada domain fisik (p = 0,278; α < 0,05), psikologis (p = 0,068; α < 0,05), hubungan sosial (p = 0,976; α < 0,05), dan lingkungan (p = 0.157; α < 0,05) dari kualitas hidup yang dipersepsikan oleh pasien dan yang dipersepsikan oleh caregiver. Informasi dari caregiver dapat digunakan saat pasien tidak dapat memberikan informasi terkait kualitas hidupnya.Kata Kunci: caregiver, kualitas hidup, persepsi, stroke