Objective: Blood biomarkers have not been widely investigated in poststroke epilepsy. In this study, we aimed to describe clinical factors and biomarkers present during acute stroke and analyze their association with the development of epilepsy at long term. Methods: A panel of 14 blood biomarkers was evaluated in patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Biomarkers were normalized and standardized using Zscores. Stroke and epilepsy-related variables were also assessed: stroke severity, determined by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, stroke type and cause, time from stroke to onset of late seizures, and type of seizure. Multiple Cox regression models were used to identify clinical variables and biomarkers independently associated with epilepsy.

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The rate of brivaracetam-related behavioural adverse events is a current focus of discussion. This study aims to assess the effect of brivaracetam on anger levels in patients with epilepsy, adjusted by mood symptoms, history of psychiatric disorders and seizure response. Method: Prospective analysis of 37 patients assessed for anger levels (STAXI-2), depression-anxiety (HADS) and quality of life (QOLIE-10) before adjunctive brivaracetam treatment and reassessed 3-6 months later. A control group following the same protocol of assessment was used for 1:1 comparison. A high percentage of mood stabilisers were included in this control group. Results: Brivaracetam was indicated for patients including focal onset (79%) and generalised epilepsies (21%). Nearly 60% of responders and no psychiatric adverse events were found. This was similar to controls. The overall results revealed that brivaracetam was assoiciated with better in anger levels, mood scores and quality of life at baseline. Prior use of levetiracetam or the presence of a psychiatric background did not influence the results. However, improvements in anger levels were seen in the brivaracetam responders. Conclusion:This study shows that brivaracetam is not associated with an increased level of anger in patients with either focal or generalised epilepsies in the absence of psychiatric comorbidity. However, an improvement in anger levels is possibly influenced by a good seizure response.

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Evidence of genetic heterogeneity in ALS has been found, with at least 31 genes being identified to date as causing ALS, and other genes being suggested as risk factors for susceptibility to the disease and for phenotype modifications. In recent years, new molecular genetic methodologies, especially GWAS and exome sequencing, have contributed to the identification of new ALS genes. Some of these genes (SOD1, TARDBP, FUS, and C9orf72) have homogenous frequencies in different populations. However, a few genes are rare in populations other than those in which they were first identified. Here we investigate the frequency of the PFN1 gene in a Catalan ALS population. A mutational analysis of the PFN1 gene was carried out on a Catalan cohort of 42 ALS families (FALS) and 423 sporadic ALS patients (SALS). The screening included 600 healthy controls. No PFN1 mutations were identified in either the FALS or SALS group. We also found no mutations in the control group. Our results are consistent with those described in other populations with very low frequencies, suggesting that PFN1 is a very rare cause of ALS worldwide. Together with the absence of a distinctive phenotype associated with ALS18, these results mean that this gene should be a second or third line for inclusion in screening in patients requesting genetic counseling.

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