Motor neurorehabilitation in patients with epileptic seizures: limitations of methods with proven efficacy in stroke

Abstract

Patients with epilepsy may require a neurorehabilitation aid particularly due to developing motor alterations related to stroke, sequelae of traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other brain damage. Modern neurorehabilitation approaches directly or indirectly affect neuroplastic processes altering cerebral cortex excitability, stimulate the afferentation systems, and result in fatigue and may act as factors provoking seizures or aggravated epilepsy. In addition, developing seizures may temporarily coincide but unrelated to the neurorehabilitation activities: e.g., while omitting antiepileptic drug administration, sleep deprivation or long-term stress occurring to patient etc. Here we present a review on recent studies aimed at investigating epilepsy triggers by aligning them with the factors of interventions used in motor rehabilitation. We also emphasize the safety data for routine use of the main neurorehabilitation methods as well as propose actions to reduce the risk of developing epileptic seizure.