Providence VA Medical Center study finds telehealth may be effective treatment for nonepileptic seizures

DR. W. CURT LAFRANCE JR., a neuropsychiatrist at the Providence VA Medical Center, uses the VA telehealth system at the Providence VAMC to meet with Thera Powell, a telehealth licensed practical nurse at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, N.C. / COURTESY VA PROVIDENCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

PROVIDENCE – A Providence VA Medical Center study has found that video telehealth visits may be an effective treatment for nonepileptic seizures.

Researchers measured the effectiveness of neurobehavioral therapy on 32 veterans who suffer from nonepileptic seizures. Treatment was administered via video from the VA National Telemental Health Tele-Seizures Clinic.

“Nonpharmacologic therapies for seizures have been gaining acceptance,” said Dr. W. Curt LaFrance Jr., the principal investigator, a neuropsychiatrist at the Providence VA Medical Center, professor of psychiatry and neurology at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, director of neuropsychiatry and behavioral neurology at Rhode Island Hospital, and member of the VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology. RR&D stands for Research Rehabilitation & Development.

“Building off of our previous studies, this is the first study demonstrating seizure reduction using video telehealth for patients with nonepileptic seizures,” LaFrance said.

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The study, which can be found at doi.org/10.1111/epi.16689, was published Oct. 4 in the medical journal Epilepsia. Funding for the project was provided by Ocean State Research Inc. through a grant from the Matty Fund.

Nonepileptic seizures are common in veterans who have experienced emotional trauma or brain injuries, LaFrance said.

“As in earlier studies in civilians using this therapy, we observed a significant reduction not only in NES [nonepileptic seizures] but also in depression and anxiety, as well as an improvement in quality of life and global functioning,” he said, adding that veterans using telehealth services appeared to participate in treatment sessions with the same level of cooperation that is seen during in-person evaluations.

“This suggests that video telehealth can be a viable option for seeing patients with seizures anywhere across the nation, reducing the access gap, which can be a significant barrier to helpful treatment,” LaFrance said.

Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.

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