Francesca La Briola

Epilepsy in TSC: Certain etiology does not mean certain prognosis

Prevalence and long‐term outcome of epilepsy in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is reported to be variable, and the reasons for this variability are still controversial.

Characteristics of a large population of patients with refractory epilepsy attending tertiary referral centers in Italy.

The characteristics of 1,124 consecutive adults and children with refractory epilepsy attending 11 tertiary referral centers in Italy were investigated at enrollment into a prospective observational study. Among 933 adults (age 16–86 years), the most common syndromes were symptomatic (43.7%) and cryptogenic (39.0%) focal epilepsies, followed by idiopathic (8.1%) and cryptogenic/symptomatic generalized (6.2%) epilepsies. The most common syndrome among 191 children was symptomatic focal epilepsy (35.1%), followed by cryptogenic focal (18.8%), cryptogenic/symptomatic generalized (18.3%), undetermined whether focal or generalized (16.8%), and idiopathic generalized (7.3%). Primarily and secondarily generalized tonic–clonic seizures were reported in 27.8% of adults and 16.8% of children. The most commonly reported etiologies were mesial temporal sclerosis (8.0%) and disorders of cortical development (6.2%) in adults, and disorders of cortical development (14.7%) and nonprogressive encephalopathies (6.8%) in children. More than three‐fourths of subjects in both age groups were on antiepileptic drug (AED) polytherapy.

Focal epilepsies in adult patients attending two epilepsy centers: classification of drug-resistance, assessment of risk factors, and usefulness of "new" antiepileptic drugs

Purpose:  To classify the grade of antiepileptic drug (AED) resistance in a cohort of patients with focal epilepsies, to recognize the risk factors for AED resistance, and to estimate the helpfulness of “new‐generation” AEDs.

Correlations between neurophysiological, behavioral, and cognitive function in Rett syndrome

Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting mainly females, is caused by a mutation of the MeCP2 gene. Girls with Rett syndrome manifest diverse behavioral and cognitive phenotypes, and the reasons for this variability remain unknown. In addition, girls with Rett syndrome often have epileptic seizures and abnormal EEGs, the characteristics of which differ with the patient. The aim of the study was to verify if neurophysiological and epileptological characteristics could be correlated with cognitive measures, obtained using eye tracker technology, and behavioral scores (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and Rett Assessment Rating Scale) in 18 patients with Rett syndrome (mean age 13.7 years) at clinical stages III and IV. Age at epilepsy onset and seizure frequency were strictly correlated with neuropsychological outcome, as were EEG stage and distribution of paroxysmal abnormalities. Our findings demonstrate that neurophysiological features should be considered prognostic of cognitive and behavioral outcome in the clinical management of Rett syndrome.

Electroclinical pattern in MECP2 duplication syndrome: Eight new reported cases and review of literature

Purpose:  Duplications encompassing the MECP2 gene on the Xq28 region have been described in male patients with moderate to severe mental retardation, absent speech, neonatal hypotonia, progressive spasticity and/or ataxia, recurrent severe respiratory infections, gastrointestinal problems, mild facial dysmorphisms (midface hypoplasia, depressed nasal bridge, large ears) and epilepsy. Epilepsy can occur in >50% of cases, but the types of seizures and the electroclinical findings in affected male individuals have been poorly investigated up to the present. Herein we describe eight patients with MECP2 duplication syndrome and a specific clinical and electroencephalographic pattern.

Interstitial 6q microdeletion syndrome and epilepsy: A new patient and review of the literature

Interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 6 represent a rare genomic disorder. Variable phenotypes has been reported in patients carrying this deletion, including facial dysmorphisms, intellectual disability/developmental delay, growth retardation and hypotonia, upper limb and cardiac malformations, and Prader–Willi (PWS)‐like features. We describe a new patient with an interstitial 6q deletion of 11.58 Mb detected by CGH‐Array, who showed facial dysmorphic features, small hands and feet, and severe dorsal scoliosis. Ataxic gait and frequent hand stereotypies were also noted. She started having seizures at 14 years, characterized by loss of consciousness, clonic jerks of the limbs, roaring breathing, fixed gaze, and generalized hypotonia. In the course of the disease she experienced cluster of seizures requiring intensive treatment. The electroencephalographic recording showed slowing of the background activity and bilateral paroxysmal activity over the posterior regions. Review of the literature done to pinpoint the epileptological features of the syndrome identified heterogeneous descriptions of the electro‐clinical picture in patients with interstitial 6q deletions. Genotype–phenotype correlations of this syndrome have been lacking until recently, when patients can be characterized with microarray‐based comparative genomic hybridization. Description of additional patients with interstitial 6q deletions will help to delineate candidate genes associated with particular phenotypes.

Medical care of adolescents and women with Rett syndrome : an Italian study

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, linked to MECP2 gene mutations in the majority of cases, which results in severe disability and is associated with several comorbidities. The clinical condition of RTT patients tends to stabilize over time, and prolonged survival has recently been demonstrated. However, limited information is available on the long‐term course of older patients with RTT, especially among those in Southern Europe. The aim of our study is to evaluate the main clinical features and state of health of adult Italian patients with RTT and to present their evolution over time, identifying major clinical issues present at different ages. A total of 130 families of patients with RTT aged ≥14 years were asked to complete a questionnaire, 84 of which were returned (65%). Among the clinical characteristics of RTT, stereotypies and poor hand function and feeding ability remained stable over time, while nonverbal communication tended to improve. With regard to the main pathologies, sleep, behavioral, and autonomic disorders persisted into adulthood, while epilepsy improved and musculoskeletal problems worsened. In our sample, older patients with R294X and R133C mutations and with C‐terminal deletions showed lower levels of clinical severity. The development of guidelines for the clinical management of patients with RTT will assist health care providers in dealing with the complex RTT phenotype. More extensive data about the long‐term course of the condition could help in the design of programs for secondary prevention of disabilities for younger females affected by the syndrome.

Epilepsy in adult patients with Down syndrome: a clinical-video EEG study

Patients with Down syndrome are now living longer and the overall prevalence of epilepsy is increasing, however, full characterisation of epilepsy in adult age is still incomplete. We describe the electroclinical characteristics of epilepsy in 22 adult patients with Down syndrome (11 males, 11 females), with a mean age of 46 years (range: 28–64 years), followed at the Epilepsy Centre, San Paolo Hospital in Milan. Mean age at epilepsy onset was 36.8 years (range: 6–60 years). Nine out of 22 patients had focal epilepsy, while nine had late-onset myoclonic epilepsy. In four patients, epilepsy was unclassified. The EEG pattern of our patients was characterised by a progressive slowing of the background activity with sharp-and-slowwaves with frontal predominance. In the patients diagnosed with late-onsetmyoclonic epilepsy, the EEGs showed generalised polyspike waves. Three subjects had an episode ofmyoclonic status epilepticus at the beginning or in the course of the disorder. After the first descriptions of lateonset myoclonic epilepsy by Genton and Paglia (1994), this is one of the largest patient cohorts reported. Our data confirm that epilepsy in adult patients with Down syndrome presents peculiar electroclinical characteristics which should be recognized early as prompt, effective treatment may be beneficial.

Evolution of stereotypies in adolescents and women with Rett syndrome

Stereotypies in Rett syndrome (RTT) are a diagnostic hallmark present in all stages of the disease, but descriptions of movement disorders in adults are very scant. Among 30 patients with RTT followed‐up at San Paolo Hospital in Milan, we selected those aged ≥14 years and studied 12 patients (mean age 18. 6 years, range: 14–31) with MECP2 mutations. Mean age at stereotypies onset was 19.4 months; stereotypies at onset tend to be maintained during evolution, while new stereotyped movements can be detected in the follow‐up. All patients still present stereotypies involving separated or joined hands: most frequently mouthing, pill rolling, and twisting. We underline that stereotyped movements persist in older patients and can be useful to suspect RTT diagnosis in adult age in otherwise unclassified patients.

Do patients with tuberous sclerosis complex have an increased risk for malignancies

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is generally characterized by the presence of benign tumors, but some patients with malignancies have been reported in the literature. We examined a large Italian TSC population (240 individuals followed from 2001 to 2015, aged 3 months–74 years), assessing the frequency of malignancies to determine whether there is an increased risk for cancer in this disorder, and looking for possible features associated with the development of neoplasia. Fifteen patients had malignancies (6.25%); median age at diagnosis was 37.5 years (range of 1.6–58). Five of seven renal tumors were renal cell carcinomas. Eight patients had a non‐renal malignancy (3.3%), but we did not find a more prevalent type of cancer. No patient developed more than one malignancy. The prevalence of all malignant tumors was compatible with the prevalence in the general population (5.6%, 95%CI 2.99−9.31%, vs. 4.4% in Italy). Median age at cancer diagnosis was lower (37.5 years, 95%CI 28.6−44.7, vs. 66.0 years). Two patients (13.3%) died of their cancer, while outcome was favorable in the remaining individuals. Malignant tumors were more frequently diagnosed in patients with mutations in TSC1 when compared to TSC2 and patients with no mutation identified (P = 0.032). Our study demonstrated that TSC patients do not seem to have an increased risk for malignancies besides renal cell carcinoma. However, when cancer develops, age at diagnosis is lower than in the general population, and malignant tumors are more frequently diagnosed in patients with mutations in TSC1. Further studies are needed to confirm these data. ©2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.