How Brain Networks Change After Stopping Seizure Meds

Researchers wanted to understand how the brain's network changes affect seizure relapse when people stop taking their seizure medication. They looked at 24 people who stayed seizure-free (SF-group), 22 who had seizures again (SR-group), and 46 healthy individuals (Control group). They used brain scans to compare how well different parts of the brain were connected in each group. The SF-group showed some parts of their brain were less efficient than the healthy group. The SR-group had even worse connections, with some parts of their brain working less efficiently and taking longer to communicate. Both groups had weaker connections between certain brain areas, with the SR-group having the most significant loss. The right pallidum, a brain area, was especially affected in the SR-group. The researchers think that these changes might be what causes seizures to come back after stopping medication.