Epileptic Psychoses and Their Link With Ictal Emotions and Consciousness

NCT06960811 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2025PI050-601
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 117
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background : Psychiatric comorbidities are common in epilepsy, affecting 50 to 70% of patients, especially when the epilepsy is focal and drug-resistant. Among these comorbidities, psychotic disorders (involving hallucinations and delusions) affect 8% of patients - that is, eight times more frequently than in the general population. Currently, the links between epilepsy and psychotic disorders are poorly understood and often overlooked by physicians, which impacts the mental health care of patients with epilepsy and leads to underdiagnosis. The aim of this research is to determine whether there are differences in epileptic symptoms between patients with a psychotic comorbidity and those without. Study design : The main objective of this research is to better understand whether certain emotional epileptic symptoms are associated with a higher risk of developing psychotic symptoms. The secondary objectives of this study are to investigate whether the level of consciousness during seizures is associated with a higher risk of developing psychotic symptoms. To meet these objectives, the study will include patients who (1) have epilepsy, (2) were hospitalized in the video-EEG unit of the Neurology Department at Central Hospital for seizure recording, and (3) underwent a psychiatric evaluation in the context of epilepsy between January 1, 2016, and April 1, 2025. The study will take place at the University Hospital Center (CHRU) of Nancy, in the Neurology Department, within the video-EEG unit led by Professor Louis Maillard. The research will involve comparing epileptic symptoms between the group of patients without psychosis and the group of patients with psychosis. Data collection will cover the five days of video-EEG hospitalization, along with information from the psychiatric evaluation, for a total duration of approximately one week per year. Information for participants: As part of the routine medical care, data is collected in medical records to ensure appropriate follow-up. For the purposes of this research, data from the medical record will be collected. No identifying information (such as name, initials, full date of birth, address, or social security number) will be collected. No additional visits or examinations will be required. Patients will not be contacted or asked to provide any new information.

Conditions

Epilepsy With Partial Onset Seizures With or Without Secondary Generalization; Psychoses; Epilepsy, Generalized

Keywords

psychoses of epilepsy; postictal psychosis; interictal psychosis; epilepsy; clinical research

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Ictal emotions

  Clinician-assessment of ictal affective symptomatology (facial, verbal, and motor expression), based on a the visualization of an usual seizure recorded in video-EEG.

  From april 2025 to may 2025

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Ictal consciousness

  From april 2025 to may 2025

• Ictal dysautonomy

  From april 2025 to may 2025

• Type of aura

  From april 2025 to may 2025

Study Arms (2)

PEP +

Patients diagnosed with epilepsy based on video-EEG recording of seizures and with a psychotic comorbidity according to a standardized psychiatric assessment specialized in Epi-Psy

PEP -

Patients diagnosed with epilepsy based on video-EEG recording of seizures and without psychotic comorbidity according to a standardized psychiatric assessment specialized in Epi-Psy

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with a certain diagnosis of epilepsy, based on a video-EEG monitoring, hospitalized in tertiary center for epilepsy care, and who have a psychiatric evaluation specialized in patients with epilepsy. There are limited exclusion criteria to ensure the best representation of patients with epilepsy

You may qualify if:

• Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy
• Patients hospitalized for at least 5 days for a video-EEG recording
• Patients with a psychiatric evaluation, conducted between 01/01/2016 and 04/01/2025.
• Adult patients able to express their opposition to the use of their data.

You may not qualify if:

• Absence of seizure recorded during the video-EEG

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Central Hospital, Nancy, France: lead

Study Sites (1)

Center Hospital of Nancy

Nancy, Lorraine, 54000, France

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Tarrada A, Aron O, Vignal JP, Ertan D, Maillard L, Hingray C. Anticipatory anxiety of seizures is associated with ictal emotional distress and amygdala onset seizures. Epilepsia. 2022 May;63(5):1130-1140. doi: 10.1111/epi.17215. Epub 2022 Mar 20.

  PMID: 35263805 BACKGROUND

• Tarrada A, Hingray C, Sachdev P, Le Thien MA, Kanemoto K, de Toffol B. Epileptic psychoses are underrecognized by French neurologists and psychiatrists. Epilepsy Behav. 2019 Nov;100(Pt A):106528. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106528. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

  PMID: 31654941 BACKGROUND

• Hesdorffer DC, Ishihara L, Mynepalli L, Webb DJ, Weil J, Hauser WA. Epilepsy, suicidality, and psychiatric disorders: a bidirectional association. Ann Neurol. 2012 Aug;72(2):184-91. doi: 10.1002/ana.23601. Epub 2012 Aug 7.

  PMID: 22887468 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychotic Disorders; Epilepsy, Generalized; Epilepsy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders; Mental Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Study Officials

• Coraline Hingray, MD, PhD

  Psychotherapeutic Center of Nancy

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: M.D.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 29, 2025
• First Posted: May 7, 2025
• Study Start: May 2, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 5, 2025
• Study Completion: August 5, 2025
• Last Updated: August 6, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

FR (1)