Face mask-induced hyperventilation may affect epilepsy brain network excitability

Reuters Health - 24/08/2021 - Hyperventilation (HV) induced by wearing a face mask may affect brain network excitability in people with epilepsy undergoing EEG evaluation, a small study in China suggests. "Previous studies demonstrated that HV significantly increased abnormal discharge and functional connectivity in the delta and theta bands in the epilepsy patients," write Dr. Hua Lin of Capital Medical University in Beijing and colleagues. During the pandemic, patients with epilepsy are often required to wear a face mask during EEG examinations. The HV procedure, they note, "is always the EEG 'activation procedure,' which can strengthen preexisting EEG abnormalities." As reported in Epilepsy Research, to investigate the impact on cortical excitability and the brain network of epilepsy patients undergoing HV with a face mask, the team analyzed EEG data from 19 patients with epilepsy and 17 controls. Overall, the mean age was about 34 and most were women. All...

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Posted on 24 August, 20213 September, 2021