title: Self-control of epileptic seizures by nonpharmacological strategies.
abstract: Despite the unpredictability of epileptic seizures, many patients report that they can anticipate seizure occurrence. Using certain alert symptoms (i.e., auras, prodromes, precipitant factors), patients can adopt behaviors to avoid injury during and after the seizure or may implement spontaneous cognitive and emotional strategies to try to control the seizure itself. From the patient's view point, potential means of enhancing seizure prediction and developing seizure control supports are seen as very important issues, especially when the epilepsy is drug-resistant. In this review, we first describe how some patients anticipate their seizures and whether this is effective in terms of seizure prediction. Secondly, we examine how these anticipatory elements might help patients to prevent or control their seizures and how the patient's neuropsychological profile, specifically parameters of perceived self-control (PSC) and locus of control (LOC), might impact these strategies and quality of life (QOL). Thirdly, we review the external supports that can help patients to better predict seizures. Finally, we look at nonpharmacological means of increasing perceived self-control and achieving potential reduction of seizure frequency (i.e., stress-based and arousal-based strategies). In the past few years, various approaches for detection and control of seizures have gained greater interest, but more research is needed to confirm a positive effect on seizure frequency as well as on QOL.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Parole et Langage UMR 7309, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Iliana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kotwas
authors.affiliation: Service de Neurophysiologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalo Universitaire de la Timone, 264, Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France; Unité Mixte INSERM Epilepsie et Cognition UMR 751, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Aileen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McGonigal
authors.affiliation: Service de Neurophysiologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalo Universitaire de la Timone, 264, Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France; Unité Mixte INSERM Epilepsie et Cognition UMR 751, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trebuchon
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Parole et Langage UMR 7309, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bastien-Toniazzo
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, UK; Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.affiliation: Service de Neurophysiologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalo Universitaire de la Timone, 264, Rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France; Unité Mixte INSERM Epilepsie et Cognition UMR 751, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bartolomei
authors.affiliation: Service d'Explorations Fonctionnelles du Système Nerveux, Clinique du Sommeil, CHU de Bordeaux, Place Amélie Raba-Léon, 33076 Bordeaux, France; USR CNRS 3413 SANPSY, CHU Pellegrin, Université de Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Arthur
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Micoulaud-Franchi
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Biofeedback; Cognitive–behavioral therapy; Drug-resistant epilepsy; Perceived self-control; Quality of life; Seizure control; Seizure prediction