DigRTEpi · New integrated system to automatically record impact of interictal epileptic activity on behavior, reactivity, and consciousness of epilepsy patients

New integrated system to automatically record impact of interictal epileptic activity on behavior, reactivity, and consciousness of epilepsy patients

People with epilepsy are not only affected by seizures but also by epileptiform phenomena that occur between seizures, known as interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs). IEDs are typically not perceived by patients nor recognizable by routine clinical observation. Nevertheless, IEDs can have serious health and societal consequences given their association with transitory cognitive impairment and their much higher prevalence compared to seizures. IED-induced deficits can affect every activity of daily life, depending on whether the corresponding brain region is affected, and severity can range from negligible impairment to the inability to perform an action with serious consequences, such as overlooking a stop sign and causing an accident. There are experimental tests to visualize IED-induced deficits, but there are no standardized tests that can be routinely employed to detect IED-associated effects on daily social functioning, for example early after the onset of the epilepsy, or to test the fitness-to-drive. Because epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders with a prevalence of 1%, there is a societal and economic need for a user-friendly, inexpensive, and standardized test to objectively measure IED-associated effects and thus the risk of not being able to respond appropriately, and to provide these measurements to health-care personnel for consultation of people with epilepsy who are seizure-free at the time of examination. Conclusions of the Action: The research funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grand Agreement No. 99791 resulted in the development of the Digital Response Test in Epilepsy (DigRTEpi). It is the world’s first integrated system that applies deep learning to detect epileptiform brain bio signals, recorded with an electroencephalogram (EEG) in real time, and immediately test people with epilepsy in two important social domains, namely road traffic and everyday communicative skills. DigRTEpi is designed to evaluate the effects of the many brief IEDs that occur between seizures using a driving game and a computer-based neuropsychological test. DigRTEpi is easy to use and can be applied in both hospitals and doctor’s offices.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union