Novakova, B., Harris, P.R. and Reuber, M. orcid.org/0000-0002-4104-6705 (2017) Diurnal patterns and relationships between physiological and self-reported stress in patients with epilepsy and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Epilepsy & Behavior, 70 (A). pp. 204-211. ISSN 1525-5050
Abstract
Purpose Patients with epilepsy and those with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) experience high levels of stress and stress is one of the most frequently self-identified seizure precipitants. Although stress is a multifaceted phenomenon, few studies have systematically examined its different components in patients with seizures. The aim of this study was therefore to describe diurnal patterns of psychological and physiological measures of stress in patients with epilepsy and patients with PNES, and explore their relationships to each other in order to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stress and seizure occurrence in these patients.
Method A range of stress markers including self-reported stress, salivary cortisol, and heart rate variability (HRV) were explored in adult patients with refractory epilepsy (N = 22) and those with PNES (N = 23) undergoing three- to five-day video-telemetry.
Results A diurnal pattern was observed in the physiological measures, characterized by higher levels of physiological arousal in the mornings and lower levels at night in both patients with epilepsy and PNES. The physiological measures (cortisol and HRV) were associated with each other in patients with epilepsy; no close relationship was found with self-reported stress in either of the two patient groups.
Conclusion The findings contribute to and expand on previous studies of the patterns of stress in patients with seizures. The results also indicate a discrepancy between patients' physiological responses and their subjective stress perceptions, suggesting that simple self-reports cannot be used as a proxy of physiological arousal in patients with seizures and stress. Stress in these patient groups should be studied using a combination of complementary measures.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 Elsevier. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Epilepsy and Behavior. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Epilepsy; Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures; Psychological stress; Physiological stress; Circadian rhythms |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > Department of Neuroscience (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Sheffield Teaching Hospitals |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number RYDER BRIGGS NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH FUND NONE |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 21 Mar 2018 12:22 |
Last Modified: | 21 Mar 2018 12:22 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.03.006 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.03.006 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:128676 |
Download
Filename: Diurnal patterns of stress_Revised Manuscript .pdf
Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0
