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Bidirectional links between epilepsy and sleep have been known for thousands of years. Despite nearly a century of research using EEG investigations, the relationships are still not well understood.

Dr. Laurent Sheybani interviewed Dr. Birgit Frauscher, an epileptologist and sleep specialist at the Montreal Neurological Institute. They discussed what is known about sleep patterns, how sleep may influence epileptic activity and vice versa, and how sleep research may lead to more effective epilepsy treatments.

Studies mentioned in the interview include:
Interictal Hippocampal Spiking Influences the Occurrence of Hippocampal Sleep Spindles (Frauscher et al., 2015, Sleep)

Focal epilepsy disrupts spindle structure and function (Schiller et al., 2022, Nature Scientific Reports)

Origin and significance of the cyclic alternating pattern: Review article (Terzano & Parrino, 2000, Sleep Medicine Reviews)

SleepSEEG: automatic sleep scoring using intracranial EEG recordings only (von Ellenrieder et al., 2022, J. Neural Eng.)

Recurrent Hippocampo-neocortical sleep-state divergence in humans (Guthrie et al., 2022, PNAS)

Scalp spindles are associated with widespread intracranial activity with unexpectedly low synchrony (Frauscher et al., 2015, Neuroimage)

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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Seizure action plans can help people with epilepsy manage their seizures and address emergencies. They often are aimed at a subset of people with epilepsy, particularly children. Dr. Lucretia Long discusses how seizure action plans can be used to engage and educate all people with epilepsy, as well as their families and the larger community.

Seizure action plan examples: English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

Online fillable seizure action plan - English (PDF)

Plan de acción de incautación en línea - espanol (PDF)

List of published research on seizure action plans

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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We discuss the response to the updated classification of seizures with Prof. Eugen Trinka, including why the changes were made and how the changes are being explained and socialized.

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

Celebrating International Epilepsy Day (Feb 9) with an episode of strength and hope! Jessie Nyirenda's seizures went undiagnosed for years. She was told she was misbehaving, possessed, and bewitched. She finally diagnosed herself after reading about epilepsy in a library. Taking anti-seizure medication and joining an epilepsy support group changed Jessie's life and made her realize she was no different from anyone else. Now a mother of three and a banking sector specialist, Jessie is active in epilepsy advocacy.

IBE toolkit for reducing stigma in Africa

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

A network of more than 60 expert epilepsy teams across Europe: That's EpiCARE. The network aims to improve care for rare and complex epilepsies and reduce inequalities in access to the best diagnostic and treatment practices and investigational tools. Sharp Waves talked to EpiCARE coordinator Dr. Alexis Arzimanoglou about what EpiCARE is, what it isn't, and how it may contribute to changes in epilepsy care across the region and beyond.

For more information:

EpiCARE website

EpiCARE on Instagram (@ern_epicare)

EpiCARE webinars

Patient and caregiver resources

EpiCARE position paper: Areas of research priorities in epilepsy (Epilepsia Open, Jan 2026)

The Declaration on the European Innovation and Care Ecosystem for Rare and Complex Diseases (Dec 2025)

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

About 1 in 5 people with an intellectual disability (ID) also have epilepsy; among those with profound ID, 1 in 2 also will have epilepsy. In general, people with an ID have higher mortality rates and more chronic conditions than people without an ID; they also face significant health care disparities. Researchers interviewed people with both epilepsy and an ID to understand what they knew about their epilepsy, how they accessed care, and what epilepsy-related information they wanted to have.

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

While as many as 1 in 3 first seizures are acute symptomatic seizures, these seizures receive relatively little attention during training. Dr. Ching Soong Khoo speaks with Dr. Marian Galovic about the etiology and management of acute symptomatic seizures and how they may inform outcomes and future epilepsy risk.

Mentioned during the episode:

The SeLECT Consortium

predictepilepsy.com

The SeLECT model of developing epilepsy after ischemic stroke

The CAVE model of developing epilepsy after hemorrhagic stroke

The 2HELPS2B score to identify patients most likely to benefit from prolonged EEG

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Send comments and feedback

The latest on Dravet syndrome: Diagnosis, genetic testing, comorbidities, treatment, and more. Dr. Parthvi Ravat interviews Dr. Ingrid Scheffer.

Sharp Waves episodes are meant for informational purposes only, and not as clinical or medical advice.

Let us know how we're doing: info@ilae.org

The International League Against Epilepsy is the world's preeminent association of health professionals and scientists, working toward a world where no person's life is limited by epilepsy. Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.