Exercise Interventions in Epilepsy Management
Summary
Epilepsy is a complex neurological disorder characterised by recurrent unprovoked seizures. Traditionally, individuals with epilepsy have been advised to restrict physical exertion due to concerns about injury or seizure provocation. However, accumulating evidence indicates that well‐designed exercise regimens—ranging from aerobic and resistance training to balance and flexibility exercises—can provide multiple advantages. These benefits include improved seizure control, enhanced mood and cognitive performance, reduction of comorbidities such as obesity and cardiovascular disease, and overall gains in quality of life. Mechanistically, regular physical activity appears to modulate neuronal excitability, increase neurotrophic factors, promote neurogenesis and attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby raising the seizure threshold. Successful implementation requires individual risk assessment, clear guidance on safety precautions and collaboration between neurologists, exercise specialists and patients. Globally, exercise interventions are emerging as a cost-effective adjunct to pharmacotherapy, offering practical pathways to reduce the burden of epilepsy and foster long-term well-being.
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Exercise Interventions in Epilepsy Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in exercise interventions in epilepsy management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Epileptiform activity: Abnormal patterns of electrical discharge observed in electroencephalographic recordings from the epileptic brain.
Focal epilepsy: A form of epilepsy in which seizures originate from a specific region within one cerebral hemisphere.
Mendelian randomisation: An analytical method that uses genetic variants as instrumental variables to infer causal relationships between an exposure and an outcome.
Neurogenesis: The process by which new neurons are generated in the brain, contributing to neural plasticity and functional recovery.
References
- Genetic causal association between physical activities and epilepsy: A Mendelian randomization study. Brain and Behavior (2024).
- Impact of Physical Activity and Medication Adherence on the Seizure Frequency and Quality of Life of Epileptic Patients: A Population Study in West Texas. BioMed Research International (2022).
- Being physically active with epilepsy: Insights from young people and their parents. Epilepsy Research (2022).
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