REL: The Rolandic Epilepsy/ESES/Landau-Kleffner Syndrome and Correlation With Language Impairment Study
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
In clinical practice language impairment is frequently reported in association with nocturnal epileptiform activity. There is a spectrum of epileptic conditions that are characterized by nocturnal epileptiform activity. From mild to severe this spectrum involves: Rolandic epilepsy (RE), nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE), Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) and electrical status epilepticus during slow wave sleep (ESES). The exact characteristic of the relationship between nocturnal epileptiform activity and language impairment is yet to be explored. The investigators suggest that nocturnal epileptiform EEG discharges and nocturnal epileptic seizures during development will cause diseased neuronal networks that involve language. The diseased neuronal networks are less efficient compared with normal neuronal networks.
Objective: Identification of a diseased neuronal network characteristic in children with nocturnal epileptiform activity, which can explain language impairment in these children. For this the investigators will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to analyse brain activity and diffusion weighted MRI to investigate white matter connectivity.
Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
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Study Design
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Mechanism that causes language problems in childhood epilepsy [course of study]
Morphological, anatomical or functional correlate that can explain the comorbidity of language problems in childhood epilepsy. In Rolandic epilepsy, e.g., the epileptic focus is in the brain motor strip, and from classical anatomy no connection is known from the motor strip to the language areas. Think of deviations in the brain such as cortical thinning in both regions or aberrant functional or anatomical networks linking both regions.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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aged between 6-18
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diagnosis of Rolandic epilepsy (or other childhood epilepsies as listed in study population description)
Exclusion Criteria:
- structural brain lesions which might influence cognition
Contacts and Locations
Locations
Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
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1 | Epilepsiecentrum Kempenhaeghe | Heeze | Noord-Brabant | Netherlands | 5591VE |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Maastricht University Medical Center
- Epilepsiecentrum Kempenhaeghe
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 10-3-044
- NCT01248559