The relationship between sleep and epilepsy: evidence from clinical trials and animal models.

Interactions between sleep and epilepsy have been widely documented. Sleep can modulate epileptic phenomena, and epilepsy and seizures disorganize the macro- and micro-architecture of sleep. In turn, sleep deprivation exerts a strong influence on the occurrence of seizures and interictal epileptiform discharges. Recently, sleep disturbances occurring in conjunction with epilepsy have been suggested to lead to a worsening of the quality of life for patients with epilepsy. In addition, data from animal models clarify many gaps in this relationship. In this brief review, we present an outline of the interactions between sleep and epilepsy based on a thorough review of the existing literature. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.