The SeLECT Consortium is a research collaboration dedicated to predicting — and one day preventing — seizures and epilepsy after stroke.
Stroke and epilepsy are two of the most common neurological conditions, affecting millions worldwide. A stroke can lead to seizures and, in some cases, to epilepsy.
Post-stroke epilepsy is a long-term disease driven by changes in the brain after stroke — scarring, deposition of blood products, inflammation, or disruptions in the brain's networks.
Occur early — typically within the first 7 days. Directly linked to the stroke event; most do not recur and need little to no long-term treatment.
Occur more than 7 days after the stroke. Unprovoked and signalling post-stroke epilepsy — a chronic condition of spontaneously recurring seizures.
Epilepsy after stroke usually develops after a silent, "latent" period lasting weeks, months or years, during which epileptogenesis is at work. Predicting who will develop it lets clinicians inform patients, make sharper decisions — such as early anti-seizure treatment or closer follow-up — and guide life choices like driving.
The SeLECT Consortium specialises in this prediction. Our calculators weigh factors such as stroke severity, location and cause, the presence and type of acute symptomatic seizures, and EEG findings.
In high-income countries, stroke is the leading cause of acquired epilepsy in adults. Seizures after a stroke can worsen outcomes and quality of life, increase the risk of injury, and impose social restrictions — such as limits on driving or working.
Over time, post-stroke epilepsy can contribute to cognitive and emotional challenges. With rising life expectancy, the number of people living with it keeps growing — making this an increasingly important public-health issue.
There is currently no proven medication that prevents post-stroke epilepsy — but researchers are actively exploring options, from anti-seizure medications to widely used drugs such as cholesterol-lowering and blood-pressure agents. The SeLECT Consortium is at the forefront of this work, building advanced prognostic models and analysing large multicentre datasets to surface early signals of promising treatments.
Our calculators help clinicians assess the risk of post-stroke epilepsy and support everyday clinical decisions.
Open the calculators →