Abstracts

Rationale: Lacosamide (LCM) is a recently approved anticonvulsant which offers new mechanisms of action and favorable safety profiles. It appears to be an efficacious and cost-effective adjunctive therapy for partial-onset epileptic seizures in adult patients. This study prospectively examined whether continued add-on treatment with LCM is associated with quantitative improvement in mood and anxiety symptoms in adult patients with partial epilepsy. Methods: Depressive symptoms and anxiety were assessed by clinical interview using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Cornell Dysthymia Rating Scale (CDRS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). Thirty controls (patients with epilepsy treated with antiepileptic drugs other than LCM) and 30 LCM-treated patients were enrolled and completed the study. Results: In our study, a significant improvement in affect, as measured by the CDRS, was demonstrated during the course of LCM treatment for 3 months. HDRS and BDI scores also declined in the LCM-treated group, but these decreases did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: The decline in dysthymic symptoms in LCM-treated subjects compared with controls lends support to the hypothesis that LCM improves mood.