The initial impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on epilepsy research

Nancy Volkers¹, Samuel Wiebe², Ali Akbar Asadi-Pooya^{3

4}, Ganna Balagura^{5

6}, Patricia Gómez-Iglesias⁷, Alla Guekht^{8

9}, Julie Hall¹, Akio Ikeda¹⁰, Nathalie Jetté¹¹, Nirmeen A Kishk¹², Peter Murphy¹³, Emilio Perucca^{14

15}, Juan Carlos Pérez-Poveda¹⁶, Emmanuel O Sanya¹⁷, Eugen Trinka^{15

18

19}, Dong Zhou²⁰, J Helen Cross^{15

21

22

23}

Affiliations

¹ International League Against Epilepsy, Flower Mound, TX, USA.
² Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
³ Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁵ Pediatric Neurology and Muscular Diseases Unit, IRCCS "G. Gaslini" Institute, Genova, Italy.
⁶ Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
⁷ Epilepsy Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Health Research Institute "San Carlos" (IdISCC), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
⁸ Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia.
⁹ Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Medical Genetics, Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
¹⁰ Department of Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Physiology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
¹¹ Division of Health Outcomes and Knowledge Translation Research, Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
¹² Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
¹³ Epilepsy Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
¹⁴ Division of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia and IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
¹⁵ ERN EpiCARE.
¹⁶ Neuroscience Department, Faculty of Medicine, Xavierian University, and Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia.
¹⁷ Neurology Division, Medicine Department, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.
¹⁸ Department of Neurology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
¹⁹ Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision-Making and HTA, UMIT, Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tyrol, Austria.
²⁰ Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
²¹ Programme of Developmental Neurosciences, UCL NIHR BRC Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
²² Young Epilepsy Lingfield, London, UK.
²³ Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK.

PMID: 34033250
PMCID: PMC8013398
DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12471

Review

The initial impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on epilepsy research

Nancy Volkers et al. Epilepsia Open. 2021 Jun.

. 2021 Jun;6(2):255-265.

doi: 10.1002/epi4.12471. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ International League Against Epilepsy, Flower Mound, TX, USA.
² Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
³ Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁵ Pediatric Neurology and Muscular Diseases Unit, IRCCS "G. Gaslini" Institute, Genova, Italy.
⁶ Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
⁷ Epilepsy Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Health Research Institute "San Carlos" (IdISCC), Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
⁸ Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry, Moscow, Russia.
⁹ Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Medical Genetics, Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
¹⁰ Department of Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Physiology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
¹¹ Division of Health Outcomes and Knowledge Translation Research, Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
¹² Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
¹³ Epilepsy Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
¹⁴ Division of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia and IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.
¹⁵ ERN EpiCARE.
¹⁶ Neuroscience Department, Faculty of Medicine, Xavierian University, and Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia.
¹⁷ Neurology Division, Medicine Department, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.
¹⁸ Department of Neurology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Christian-Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
¹⁹ Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision-Making and HTA, UMIT, Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tyrol, Austria.
²⁰ Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
²¹ Programme of Developmental Neurosciences, UCL NIHR BRC Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
²² Young Epilepsy Lingfield, London, UK.
²³ Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK.

PMID: 34033250
PMCID: PMC8013398
DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12471

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of many practices throughout the world. Through necessity to minimize spread and provide clinical care to those with severe disease, focus has been on limiting face-to-face contact. Research in many areas has been put on hold. We sought to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on epilepsy research from international basic science and clinical researchers. Responses to five questions were solicited through a convenience sample by direct email and through postings on the ILAE social media accounts and an ILAE online platform (utilizing Slack). Information was collected from 15 respondents in 11 countries by email or via Zoom interviews between May 19, 2020, and June 4, 2020. Several themes emerged including a move to virtual working, project delays with laboratory work halted and clinical work reduced, funding concerns, a worry about false data with regard to COVID research and concern about research time lost. However, a number of positive outcomes were highlighted, not least the efficiency of online working and other adaptations that could be sustained in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19; epilepsy care; epilepsy research; pandemic; virtual working.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

EP received speaker's or consultancy fees from Amicus Therapeutics, Arvelle, Biogen, Eisai, GW Pharma, Intas Pharmaceuticals, Laboratorios Bagò, Sanofi, Sun Pharma, UCB Pharma, and Xenon Pharma. SW received unrestricted educational grants from UCB Pharma, Eisai, Livanova, and Sunovion. ET reports personal fees from EVER Pharma, Marinus, Arvelle, Medtronic, Bial—Portela & Cª, SA, NewBridge, GL Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Livanova, Eisai, UCB, Biogen, Genzyme Sanofi, and Actavis; his institution received grants from Biogen, UCB Pharma, Eisai, Red Bull, Merck, Bayer, the European Union, FWF Osterreichischer Fond zur Wissenschaftsforderung, Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung, and Jubilaumsfond der Österreichischen Nationalbank outside the submitted work. AAAP receives honoraria from Cobel Daruo, RaymandRad, and Tekaje; and royalty from Oxford University Press (Book publication). AI as part of the Department of Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Physiology as Industry‐Academia Collaboration Courses supported by Eisai, Nihon Kohden, Otsuka, and UCB Japan Co., Ltd. AI reports honorariums from Eisai, Otsuka, and UCB Japan. NJ receives an honorarium as an Associate Editor of Epilepsia. NV, GB, PGI, AG, JH, NK, PM, JCPP, ES, and DZ have no conflicts to declare. JHC has acted as an investigator for studies with GW Pharma, Zogenix, Vitaflo, and Marinius. She has been a speaker and on advisory boards for GW Pharma, Zogenix, and Nutricia; all remuneration has been paid to her department. We confirm that we have read the Journal's position on issues involved in ethical publication and affirm that this report is consistent with those guidelines.

References

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The initial impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on epilepsy research

Affiliations

The initial impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on epilepsy research

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

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MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

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Medical

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