Smartphone Behavior and Epilepsy Management

Rationale: The unpredictability of seizures and the unclear behavioral outcomes are major concerns for people with epilepsy and may surface as increased anxiety about independence. This unpredictability is also a true obstacle in capturing and studying seizure-related neurobehavioral alterations themselves. Also, seizures often impact consciousness and thus may go unnoticed. As a result, subjective seizure diaries are unreliable. Continuous smartphone-based monitoring of behavioral output is a fast-emerging topic and proven fruitful in monitoring other neurological disease states. In the field of epilepsy, these tools are yet to be introduced. Objective: The investigators hypothesize that quantifying smartphone behavior will help obtain a detailed and objective behavioral map of seizures that can complement existing subjective seizure diaries and thereby improve the way epilepsy treatments are evaluated in daily practice. Study design: A multicentre observational prospective cohort study with at least 3 months follow-up. Study population: 100 subjects with refractory focal epilepsy with a seizure frequency of at least one per month. Main study parameters/endpoints: Change in touchscreen interactions (tapping speed, texting speed, apps used, location, sleep-wake cycles) surrounding reported epileptic seizures.