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. 2023 Jun 26;12(13):4284.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12134284.

Exploring Autonomic Alterations during Seizures in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Insights from a Heart-Rate Variability Analysis

Sung-Min You  1   2 , Baek-Hwan Cho  3   4 , Hyo-Eun Bae  5 , Young-Kyun Kim  5 , Jae-Rim Kim  5 , Soo-Ryun Park  5 , Young-Min Shon  5   6 , Dae-Won Seo  5   6 , In-Young Kim  1
Affiliations

Exploring Autonomic Alterations during Seizures in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Insights from a Heart-Rate Variability Analysis

Sung-Min You et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Epilepsy's impact on cardiovascular function and autonomic regulation, including heart-rate variability, is complex and may contribute to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Lateralization of autonomic control in the brain remains the subject of debate; nevertheless, ultra-short-term heart-rate variability (HRV) analysis is a useful tool for understanding the pathophysiology of autonomic dysfunction in epilepsy patients. A retrospective study reviewed medical records of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy who underwent presurgical evaluations. Data from 75 patients were analyzed and HRV indices were extracted from electrocardiogram recordings of preictal, ictal, and postictal intervals. Various HRV indices were calculated, including time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear indices, to assess autonomic function during different seizure intervals. The study found significant differences in HRV indices based on hemispheric laterality, language dominancy, hippocampal atrophy, amygdala enlargement, sustained theta activity, and seizure frequency. HRV indices such as the root mean square of successive differences between heartbeats, pNN50, normalized low-frequency, normalized high-frequency, and the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio exhibited significant differences during the ictal period. Language dominancy, hippocampal atrophy, amygdala enlargement, and sustained theta activity were also found to affect HRV. Seizure frequency was correlated with HRV indices, suggesting a potential relationship with the risk of SUDEP.

Keywords: autonomic regulation; epilepsy; heart-rate variability; seizure; temporal lobe epilepsy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of HRV indices along with laterality and intervals. * Significantly different between intervals (preictal, postictal); # significantly different along with laterality (left–right); all significant results from Tukey–Kramer multiple comparison tests.
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