Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease with recurrent seizures and the comorbidity of psychiatric diseases are very common. The prevalence of depression in patients with refractory epilepsy is about 60%. However, the early diagnosis is usually difficult due to the unclear mechanism and untypical clinical symptoms, and there are no extremely effective treatments for depression in patients with epilepsy until now. In this prospective, multi-center, cohort study, we aim to investigate and screen two different types of depression ("cognitive" and "somatic") in patients with epilepsy by using the combination of regular moods evaluating scales and heart rate variability instrument. The intervening methods of combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to treat the patients with comorbidity of epilepsy and depression.
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease with recurrent seizures and the comorbidity of psychiatric diseases are very common. The prevalence of depression in patients with refractory epilepsy is about 60%. However, the early diagnosis is usually difficult due to the unclear mechanism and untypical clinical symptoms, and there are no extremely effective treatments for depression in patients with epilepsy until now. In this prospective, multi-center, cohort study, we aim to investigate and screen two different types of depression ("cognitive" and "somatic") in patients with epilepsy by using the combination of regular moods evaluating scales and heart rate variability instrument. The intervening methods of combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used to treat the patients with comorbidity of epilepsy and depression. And resting-state functional MRI will be conducted in patients with the comorbidity of epilepsy and depression before and after the combing treatment of tDCS and SSRIs.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
300
If the symptoms are mild, patients will get the psychology therapy. If it's necessary according to patients' willings, patients will be given SSRIs antidepressant therapy.
Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
the rate of seizure frequency
epilepsy diary
Time frame: 12 months
the quality of life
scale
Time frame: 12 months
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