Seizure : the journal of the British Epilepsy Association
-
Review Historical Article
From nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy to Sleep-Related Hypermotor Epilepsy: A 35-year diagnostic challenge.
Nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE) is a focal epilepsy with seizures arising mainly during sleep and characterized by complex, often bizarre, motor behavior or sustained dystonic posturing. First described in 1981, it was initially considered a motor disorder of sleep and was named nocturnal paroxysmal dystonia (NPD). The unusual seizure semiology, onset during sleep, and often uninformative scalp EEG and brain MRI make it difficult to distinguish NPD attacks from other non-epileptic nocturnal paroxysmal events, namely parasomnias. ⋯ To address controversial issues and define the diagnostic criteria for NFLE, a Consensus Conference was held in Bologna, Italy in 2014. Major points of agreement emerged on: (i) the relationship of the seizures with sleep and not with the circadian pattern of seizure occurrence; (ii) the possible extrafrontal origin of hypermotor seizures, without substantial differences in seizure semiology. In the wake of the Consensus, the syndrome was renamed Sleep-Related Hypermotor Epilepsy (SHE).
-
Epilepsy has been recognized as a brain network disorder. Therefore, functional MRI (fMRI)-based connectivity is an ideal technique for exploring the complex effects of epilepsy on the brain. Functional connectivity studies have provided insights into the physiopathogenesis of the epileptic network underlying focal epilepsies, genetic generalized epilepsy, and specific epileptic syndromes. ⋯ Researchers who have examined predictors of surgical outcomes have suggested that there might be identifiable pre-surgical patterns of functional connectivity that are associated with a greater likelihood of positive cognitive or seizure outcomes. However, knowledge regarding the role of fMRI connectivity remains limited in clinical settings. Further validation through invasive investigations and follow-up studies is required for its reliable application in the clinical management of individual patients.