How Stress Affects Epilepsy

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Aaron R. Friedman, Luisa P. Cacheaux, Sebastian Ivens, Daniela Kaufer

Primary Institution: University of California-Berkeley

Stress contributes to the pathology of epilepsy through various mechanisms.

Stress may create vulnerability to epilepsy and exacerbate its progression after traumatic injury.

Stress is the most frequently self-reported trigger of seizures in epilepsy patients.
Early life stress can lead to long-lasting changes that increase the risk of epilepsy.
Stress hormones can exacerbate neural injury and contribute to the onset of epilepsy.
Stress may disrupt the blood-brain barrier, leading to increased seizure activity.

Stress can make people with epilepsy have more seizures, especially if they experienced stress early in life.

The study reviews clinical and experimental data on the relationship between stress and epilepsy.

Direct evidence of early life stress on subsequent epilepsy is limited.

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