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November 26, 2019; 93 (22) Article

Seizure self-prediction in a randomized controlled trial of stress management

Michael Privitera, Sheryl R. Haut, Richard B. Lipton, James S. McGinley, Susannah Cornes
First published October 23, 2019, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000008539
Michael Privitera
From the Department of Neurology (M.P.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH; Montefiore-Einstein Epilepsy Center (S.R.H.) and Departments of Neurology (R.B.L.) and Epidemiology and Population Health (R.B.L.), Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY; Vector Psychometric Group (J.S.M.), LLC, Chapel Hill, NC; and University of California (S.C.), San Francisco.
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Sheryl R. Haut
From the Department of Neurology (M.P.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH; Montefiore-Einstein Epilepsy Center (S.R.H.) and Departments of Neurology (R.B.L.) and Epidemiology and Population Health (R.B.L.), Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY; Vector Psychometric Group (J.S.M.), LLC, Chapel Hill, NC; and University of California (S.C.), San Francisco.
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Richard B. Lipton
From the Department of Neurology (M.P.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH; Montefiore-Einstein Epilepsy Center (S.R.H.) and Departments of Neurology (R.B.L.) and Epidemiology and Population Health (R.B.L.), Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY; Vector Psychometric Group (J.S.M.), LLC, Chapel Hill, NC; and University of California (S.C.), San Francisco.
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James S. McGinley
From the Department of Neurology (M.P.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH; Montefiore-Einstein Epilepsy Center (S.R.H.) and Departments of Neurology (R.B.L.) and Epidemiology and Population Health (R.B.L.), Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY; Vector Psychometric Group (J.S.M.), LLC, Chapel Hill, NC; and University of California (S.C.), San Francisco.
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Susannah Cornes
From the Department of Neurology (M.P.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH; Montefiore-Einstein Epilepsy Center (S.R.H.) and Departments of Neurology (R.B.L.) and Epidemiology and Population Health (R.B.L.), Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY; Vector Psychometric Group (J.S.M.), LLC, Chapel Hill, NC; and University of California (S.C.), San Francisco.
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Seizure self-prediction in a randomized controlled trial of stress management
Michael Privitera, Sheryl R. Haut, Richard B. Lipton, James S. McGinley, Susannah Cornes
Neurology Nov 2019, 93 (22) e2021-e2031; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000008539

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Abstract

Objective Using electronic diaries as part of a randomized controlled trial of stress reduction for epilepsy, we evaluated factors associated with successful seizure self-prediction.

Methods Adults with medication-resistant focal epilepsy were recruited from 3 centers and randomized to treatment with progressive muscle relaxation or control focused attention. An 8-week baseline was followed by 12 weeks of double-blind treatment. Twice daily, participants rated the likelihood of a seizure in the next 24 hours on a 5-point scale from very unlikely to almost certain, along with mood, premonitory symptoms, stress ratings, and seizure counts. We analyzed the association of mood, premonitory symptoms, stress, and circadian influences on seizure self-prediction.

Results Sixty-four participants completed the trial (3,126 seizures). Diary entry adherence was >82%. Participant self-prediction was associated with seizure occurrence at 6, 12, and 24 hours (p < 0.0001). Odds ratio (OR) of seizure prediction increased systematically with participants’ prediction of seizure likelihood (p < 0.0001, all levels of prediction and all time intervals). For the 12-hour prediction window, median specificity for seizure prediction was 0.94 and negative predictive value 0.94; median sensitivity was 0.10 and positive predictive value 0.13. A subset of 13 participants (20% of sample) met criteria for good predictors (median OR for seizure prediction 5.25). Mood, stress, premonitory symptoms, seizure time, and randomized group were not associated with seizure occurrence.

Conclusion In this prospective study, participants’ prediction of a high probability of seizure was significantly associated with subsequent seizure occurrence within 24 hours. Future studies should focus on understanding factors that drive self-prediction.

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01444183.

Glossary

AED=
antiepileptic drug;
CI=
confidence interval;
EFA=
exploratory factor analysis;
EMU=
epilepsy monitoring unit;
NPV=
negative predictive value;
OR=
odds ratio;
PMR=
progressive muscle relaxation;
PPV=
positive predictive value;
RCT=
randomized controlled trial

Footnotes

  • Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.

  • Patient Page e2078

  • CME Course: NPub.org/cmelist

  • Received July 21, 2018.
  • Accepted in final form May 30, 2019.
  • © 2019 American Academy of Neurology
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