Jacqueline A. French
New York University
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Featured researches published by Jacqueline A. French.
Epilepsia | 2010
Anne T. Berg; Samuel F. Berkovic; Martin J. Brodie; Jeffrey Buchhalter; J. Helen Cross; Walter van Emde Boas; Jerome Engel; Jacqueline A. French; Tracy A. Glauser; Gary W. Mathern; Solomon L. Moshé; Douglas R. Nordli; Perrine Plouin; Ingrid E. Scheffer
The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Commission on Classification and Terminology has revised concepts, terminology, and approaches for classifying seizures and forms of epilepsy. Generalized and focal are redefined for seizures as occurring in and rapidly engaging bilaterally distributed networks (generalized) and within networks limited to one hemisphere and either discretely localized or more widely distributed (focal). Classification of generalized seizures is simplified. No natural classification for focal seizures exists; focal seizures should be described according to their manifestations (e.g., dyscognitive, focal motor). The concepts of generalized and focal do not apply to electroclinical syndromes. Genetic, structural–metabolic, and unknown represent modified concepts to replace idiopathic, symptomatic, and cryptogenic. Not all epilepsies are recognized as electroclinical syndromes. Organization of forms of epilepsy is first by specificity: electroclinical syndromes, nonsyndromic epilepsies with structural–metabolic causes, and epilepsies of unknown cause. Further organization within these divisions can be accomplished in a flexible manner depending on purpose. Natural classes (e.g., specific underlying cause, age at onset, associated seizure type), or pragmatic groupings (e.g., epileptic encephalopathies, self‐limited electroclinical syndromes) may serve as the basis for organizing knowledge about recognized forms of epilepsy and facilitate identification of new forms.
Epilepsia | 2009
Patrick Kwan; Alexis Arzimanoglou; Anne T. Berg; Martin J. Brodie; W. Allen Hauser; Gary W. Mathern; Solomon L. Moshé; Emilio Perucca; Samuel Wiebe; Jacqueline A. French
To improve patient care and facilitate clinical research, the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) appointed a Task Force to formulate a consensus definition of drug resistant epilepsy. The overall framework of the definition has two “hierarchical” levels: Level 1 provides a general scheme to categorize response to each therapeutic intervention, including a minimum dataset of knowledge about the intervention that would be needed; Level 2 provides a core definition of drug resistant epilepsy using a set of essential criteria based on the categorization of response (from Level 1) to trials of antiepileptic drugs. It is proposed as a testable hypothesis that drug resistant epilepsy is defined as failure of adequate trials of two tolerated, appropriately chosen and used antiepileptic drug schedules (whether as monotherapies or in combination) to achieve sustained seizure freedom. This definition can be further refined when new evidence emerges. The rationale behind the definition and the principles governing its proper use are discussed, and examples to illustrate its application in clinical practice are provided.
Epilepsia | 2014
Robert S. Fisher; Carlos Acevedo; Alexis Arzimanoglou; Alicia Bogacz; J. Helen Cross; Christian E. Elger; Jerome Engel; Lars Forsgren; Jacqueline A. French; Mike Glynn; Dale C. Hesdorffer; Byung-In Lee; Gary W. Mathern; Solomon L. Moshé; Emilio Perucca; Ingrid E. Scheffer; Torbjörn Tomson; Masako Watanabe; Samuel Wiebe
Epilepsy was defined conceptually in 2005 as a disorder of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures. This definition is usually practically applied as having two unprovoked seizures >24 h apart. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) accepted recommendations of a task force altering the practical definition for special circumstances that do not meet the two unprovoked seizures criteria. The task force proposed that epilepsy be considered to be a disease of the brain defined by any of the following conditions: (1) At least two unprovoked (or reflex) seizures occurring >24 h apart; (2) one unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and a probability of further seizures similar to the general recurrence risk (at least 60%) after two unprovoked seizures, occurring over the next 10 years; (3) diagnosis of an epilepsy syndrome. Epilepsy is considered to be resolved for individuals who either had an age‐dependent epilepsy syndrome but are now past the applicable age or who have remained seizure‐free for the last 10 years and off antiseizure medicines for at least the last 5 years. “Resolved” is not necessarily identical to the conventional view of “remission or “cure.” Different practical definitions may be formed and used for various specific purposes. This revised definition of epilepsy brings the term in concordance with common use.
Epilepsia | 2010
Robert S. Fisher; Vicenta Salanova; Thomas C. Witt; Robert Worth; Thomas R. Henry; Robert E. Gross; Kalarickal J. Oommen; Ivan Osorio; Jules M. Nazzaro; Douglas Labar; Michael G. Kaplitt; Michael R. Sperling; Evan Sandok; John H. Neal; Adrian Handforth; John M. Stern; Antonio DeSalles; Steve Chung; Andrew G. Shetter; Donna Bergen; Roy A. E. Bakay; Jaimie M. Henderson; Jacqueline A. French; Gordon H. Baltuch; William E. Rosenfeld; Andrew Youkilis; William J. Marks; Paul A. Garcia; Nicolas Barbaro; Nathan B. Fountain
Purpose: We report a multicenter, double‐blind, randomized trial of bilateral stimulation of the anterior nuclei of the thalamus for localization‐related epilepsy.
Nature Reviews Neurology | 2011
Annamaria Vezzani; Jacqueline A. French; Tamas Bartfai; Tallie Z. Baram
Epilepsy is the third most common chronic brain disorder, and is characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate seizures. Despite progress in pharmacological and surgical treatments of epilepsy, relatively little is known about the processes leading to the generation of individual seizures, and about the mechanisms whereby a healthy brain is rendered epileptic. These gaps in our knowledge hamper the development of better preventive treatments and cures for the ≈30% of epilepsy cases that prove resistant to current therapies. Here, we focus on the rapidly growing body of evidence that supports the involvement of inflammatory mediators—released by brain cells and peripheral immune cells—in both the origin of individual seizures and the epileptogenic process. We first describe aspects of brain inflammation and immunity, before exploring the evidence from clinical and experimental studies for a relationship between inflammation and epilepsy. Subsequently, we discuss how seizures cause inflammation, and whether such inflammation, in turn, influences the occurrence and severity of seizures, and seizure-related neuronal death. Further insight into the complex role of inflammation in the generation and exacerbation of epilepsy should yield new molecular targets for the design of antiepileptic drugs, which might not only inhibit the symptoms of this disorder, but also prevent or abrogate disease pathogenesis.
Nature | 2013
Andrew S. Allen; Samuel F. Berkovic; Patrick Cossette; Norman Delanty; Dennis J. Dlugos; Evan E. Eichler; Michael P. Epstein; Tracy A. Glauser; David B. Goldstein; Yujun Han; Erin L. Heinzen; Yuki Hitomi; Katherine B. Howell; Michael R. Johnson; Ruben Kuzniecky; Daniel H. Lowenstein; Yi Fan Lu; Maura Madou; Anthony G Marson; Mefford Hc; Sahar Esmaeeli Nieh; Terence J. O'Brien; Ruth Ottman; Slavé Petrovski; Annapurna Poduri; Elizabeth K. Ruzzo; Ingrid E. Scheffer; Elliott H. Sherr; Christopher J. Yuskaitis; Bassel Abou-Khalil
Epileptic encephalopathies are a devastating group of severe childhood epilepsy disorders for which the cause is often unknown. Here we report a screen for de novo mutations in patients with two classical epileptic encephalopathies: infantile spasms (n = 149) and Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (n = 115). We sequenced the exomes of 264 probands, and their parents, and confirmed 329 de novo mutations. A likelihood analysis showed a significant excess of de novo mutations in the ∼4,000 genes that are the most intolerant to functional genetic variation in the human population (P = 2.9 × 10−3). Among these are GABRB3, with de novo mutations in four patients, and ALG13, with the same de novo mutation in two patients; both genes show clear statistical evidence of association with epileptic encephalopathy. Given the relevant site-specific mutation rates, the probabilities of these outcomes occurring by chance are P = 4.1 × 10−10 and P = 7.8 × 10−12, respectively. Other genes with de novo mutations in this cohort include CACNA1A, CHD2, FLNA, GABRA1, GRIN1, GRIN2B, HNRNPU, IQSEC2, MTOR and NEDD4L. Finally, we show that the de novo mutations observed are enriched in specific gene sets including genes regulated by the fragile X protein (P < 10−8), as has been reported previously for autism spectrum disorders.
Neurology | 2003
Jerome Engel; Samuel Wiebe; Jacqueline A. French; Michael R. Sperling; Peter D. Williamson; Dennis D. Spencer; Robert J. Gumnit; Catherine Zahn; Edward L. Westbrook; Bruce Enos
Objectives/Methods: To examine evidence for effectiveness of anteromesial temporal lobe and localized neocortical resections for disabling complex partial seizures by systematic review and analysis of the literature since 1990. Results: One intention-to-treat Class I randomized, controlled trial of surgery for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy found that 58% of patients randomized to be evaluated for surgical therapy (64% of those who received surgery) were free of disabling seizures and 10 to 15% were unimproved at the end of 1 year, compared with 8% free of disabling seizures in the group randomized to continued medical therapy. There was a significant improvement in quantitative quality-of-life scores and a trend toward better social function at the end of 1 year for patients in the surgical group, no surgical mortality, and infrequent morbidity. Twenty-four Class IV series of temporal lobe resections yielded essentially identical results. There are similar Class IV results for localized neocortical resections; no Class I or II studies are available. Conclusions: A single Class I study and 24 Class IV studies indicate that the benefits of anteromesial temporal lobe resection for disabling complex partial seizures is greater than continued treatment with antiepileptic drugs, and the risks are at least comparable. For patients who are compromised by such seizures, referral to an epilepsy surgery center should be strongly considered. Further studies are needed to determine if neocortical seizures benefit from surgery, and whether early surgical intervention should be the treatment of choice for certain surgically remediable epileptic syndromes.
Epilepsia | 2004
John F. Kerrigan; Brian Litt; Robert S. Fisher; Stephen D. Cranstoun; Jacqueline A. French; David Blum; Marc A. Dichter; Andrew G. Shetter; Gordon H. Baltuch; Jurg L. Jaggi; Selma Krone; Mary Ann Brodie; Mark T. Rise; Nina M. Graves
Summary: Purpose: Animal studies and sporadic case reports in human subjects have suggested that intermittent electrical stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus reduces seizure activity. We embarked on an open‐label pilot study to determine initial safety and tolerability of bilateral stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT), to determine a range of appropriate stimulation parameters, and to begin to gather pilot efficacy data.
Epilepsia | 2013
Tracy A. Glauser; Elinor Ben-Menachem; Blaise F. D. Bourgeois; Avital Cnaan; Carlos A. M. Guerreiro; Reetta Kälviäinen; Richard H. Mattson; Jacqueline A. French; Emilio Perucca; Torbjörn Tomson
The purpose of this report was to update the 2006 International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) report and identify the level of evidence for long‐term efficacy or effectiveness for antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as initial monotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed or untreated epilepsy. All applicable articles from July 2005 until March 2012 were identified, evaluated, and combined with the previous analysis (Glauser et al., 2006) to provide a comprehensive update. The prior analysis methodology was utilized with three modifications: (1) the detectable noninferiority boundary approach was dropped and both failed superiority studies and prespecified noninferiority studies were analyzed using a noninferiority approach, (2) the definition of an adequate comparator was clarified and now includes an absolute minimum point estimate for efficacy/effectiveness, and (3) the relationship table between clinical trial ratings, level of evidence, and conclusions no longer includes a recommendation column to reinforce that this review of efficacy/evidence for specific seizure types does not imply treatment recommendations. This evidence review contains one clarification: The commission has determined that class I superiority studies can be designed to detect up to a 20% absolute (rather than relative) difference in the point estimate of efficacy/effectiveness between study treatment and comparator using an intent‐to‐treat analysis. Since July, 2005, three class I randomized controlled trials (RCT) and 11 class III RCTs have been published. The combined analysis (1940–2012) now includes a total of 64 RCTs (7 with class I evidence, 2 with class II evidence) and 11 meta‐analyses. New efficacy/effectiveness findings include the following: levetiracetam and zonisamide have level A evidence in adults with partial onset seizures and both ethosuximide and valproic acid have level A evidence in children with childhood absence epilepsy. There are no major changes in the level of evidence for any other subgroup. Levetiracetam and zonisamide join carbamazepine and phenytoin with level A efficacy/effectiveness evidence as initial monotherapy for adults with partial onset seizures. Although ethosuximide and valproic acid now have level A efficacy/effectiveness evidence as initial monotherapy for children with absence seizures, there continues to be an alarming lack of well designed, properly conducted epilepsy RCTs for patients with generalized seizures/epilepsies and in children in general. These findings reinforce the need for multicenter, multinational efforts to design, conduct, and analyze future clinically relevant adequately designed RCTs. When selecting a patients AED, all relevant variables and not just efficacy and effectiveness should be considered.
Epilepsia | 2003
Jerome Engel; Samuel Wiebe; Jacqueline A. French; Michael R. Sperling; Peter D. Williamson; Dennis D. Spencer; Robert J. Gumnit; Catherine Zahn; Edward L. Westbrook; Bruce Enos
Summary: Purpose: To examine evidence for effectiveness of anteromesial temporal lobe and localized neocortical resections for disabling complex partial seizures.