Studying Heart Rhythms With a Wearable Sensor to Detect and Predict Seizures in People With Epilepsy

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to understand heart rhythm changes in adults with epilepsy. It will also explore whether computer programs can use heart recordings to detect or predict seizures. The study will include 20 adults with temporal lobe epilepsy and 20 healthy volunteers. Participants with epilepsy will have ongoing seizures despite treatment with at least two suitable medicines. All participants will be 18 years or older. In temporal lobe epilepsy, seizures start in a specific region of the brain. These seizures may spread to both sides of the brain, causing muscle stiffening and rhythmic jerking. Researchers will focus on these spreading seizures when developing seizure detection and prediction methods. The main questions are: * How do heart rate and heartbeat timing differ between people with and without epilepsy? * How do these measures change before, during, and after seizures? * Can computer programs learn patterns in heart recordings to detect seizures or predict them before they start? Researchers will compare heart rate and heart rate variability between the two groups. Heart rate variability describes changes in the time between one heartbeat and the next. They will compare recordings during rest, wakefulness, and sleep. Participants will: * Wear a fabric chest band that records the heart's electrical activity. * Have brain activity recorded through sensors on the scalp, alongside video recording. * Rest quietly while awake for one hour during the recording period. Participants with epilepsy will have recordings during their usual hospital monitoring. Healthy volunteers will have 24 hours of recording at the same hospital. Researchers will use the brain recordings and video to identify when seizures happen. They will develop and test computer programs that learn patterns in the heart recordings.