Ictal and Interictal Cardiac Manifestations in Epilepsy. A Review of Their Relation With an Altered Central Control of Autonomic Functions and With the Risk of SUDEP

Abstract

There is a complex interrelation between epilepsy and cardiac pathology, with both acute and long-term effects of seizures on the regulation of the cardiac rhythm and on the heart functioning. A specific issue is the potential relation between these cardiac manifestations and the risk of Sudden and Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), with unclear respective role of centrally-control ictal changes, long-term epilepsy-related dysregulation of the neurovegetative control and direct effects on the heart function. In the present review, we detailed available data about ictal cardiac changes, along with interictal cardiac manifestations associated with long-term functional and structural alterations of the heart. Pathophysiological mechanisms of these cardiac changes are discussed, with a specific focus on central mechanisms and the investigation of a possible deregulation of the central control of autonomic functions in addition to the role of catecholamine and hypoxemia on heart.