Autonomic Dysfunction Contributes to Impairment of Cerebral Autoregulation in Patients with Epilepsy

Patients with epilepsy frequently experience autonomic dysfunction and impaired cerebral autoregulation. The present study investigates autonomic function and cerebral autoregulation in patients with epilepsy to determine whether these factors contribute to impaired autoregulation. A total of 81 patients with epilepsy and 45 healthy controls were evaluated, assessing their sudomotor, cardiovagal, and adrenergic functions using a battery of autonomic nervous system (ANS) function tests, including the deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, head-up tilting, and Q-sweat tests. Cerebral autoregulation was measured by transcranial Doppler examination during the breath-holding test, the Valsalva maneuver, and the head-up tilting test. Autonomic functions were impaired during the interictal period in patients with epilepsy compared to healthy controls. The three indices of cerebral autoregulation—the breath-holding index (BHI), an autoregulation index calculated in phase II of the Valsalva maneuver (ASI), and cerebrovascular resistance measured in the second minute during the head-up tilting test (CVR(2-min))—all decreased in patients with epilepsy. ANS dysfunction correlated significantly with impairment of cerebral autoregulation (measured by BHI, ASI, and CVR(2-min)), suggesting that the increased autonomic dysfunction in patients with epilepsy may augment the dysregulation of cerebral blood flow. Long-term epilepsy, a high frequency of seizures, and refractory epilepsy, particularly temporal lobe epilepsy, may contribute to advanced autonomic dysfunction and impaired cerebral autoregulation. These results have implications for therapeutic interventions that aim to correct central autonomic dysfunction and impairment of cerebral autoregulation, particularly in patients at high risk for sudden, unexplained death in epilepsy.