Psychogenic Seizures

Summary: Psychogenic seizures occur in a heterogeneous population and are varied in their expression and etiology. Patients with psychogenic seizures form a significant percentage of patients presenting with "epilepsy"-especially the group intractable to treatment. Intensive neurodiagnostic monitoring of ictal events and the classification of patients into clinically useful subgroups are important tools in approaching this disorder.     

Video-EEG Study of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: Differential Characteristics in Patients with and without Epilepsy

Summary:  Purpose: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are episodes that may resemble epileptic seizures (ES) but are not associated with abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. Video-EEG recording of a typical episode is considered the best diagnostic tool available. PNES are, however, also documented in patients with epilepsy (PNES/ES). The purpose of this study was to assess this comorbid population, focusing on the differences between patients with PNES/ES and patients with PNES alone.
Methods: We reviewed 110 PNES episodes, occurring spontaneously or induced by means of suggestion techniques, recorded in our video-EEG laboratory over a period of eight years. We identified two subgroups of patients, consisting of 85 PNES cases and 25 PNES/ES cases, and assessed any differences in their characteristics by reviewing a number of variables (age, sex, clinical features, antiepileptic therapy, age of onset, time to diagnosis, pathological history, and length of follow-up).
Results: The comparison between the two subgroups revealed that PNES/ES patients displayed some statistically significant differences when compared with PNES alone patients, i.e., younger age, a higher percentage of spontaneously activated events, a shorter disease duration, a longer time to PNES diagnosis, and a lower percentage lost at follow-up.
Conclusions: This study confirms that PNES is a common, though probably underestimated, occurrence in epilepsy services. Our results shed light on some different characteristics between PNES and PNES/ES patients.     

Factors Distinguishing Families of Patients with Psychogenic Seizures from Families of Patients with Epilepsy

Summary: Purpose: Psychogenic seizures (PS) (emotionally based nonelectrical seizures) have been explained by psychodynamics and trauma. However, the family health literature suggests that somatization, of which psychogenic seizures are a form, may run in families and be determined by family patterns of response to distress. This study compared families of patients with PS and those of patients with epilepsy on variables of distress (anxiety and depression) and somatization.
Methods: Eighteen patients (9 with PS and 9 with epilepsy) matched for age and education, and their families answered the Health Status Questionnaire (HSQ), the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI), the Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale (FEICS), Barsky's Somatization Symptom Inventory (SS), and the Dissociation Experience Scale (DES). Family members' scores were averaged to obtain "family scores."
Results: Patients with PS and those with epilepsy did not differ in any of the measures. However, families of patients with PS reported more health problems, distress, and criticism than did families of patients with epilepsy (p < 0.05). Families of patients with PS had increased criticism and somatic problem scores comparable to those of both types of patients.
Conclusions: Although epilepsy causes patients physical and emotional problems, their families are relatively healthy. In contrast, families of patients with PS are more troubled and may unwittingly contribute to PS through family distress, criticism, and tendencies to somatize.     

De Novo Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures After Epilepsy Surgery

Summary: Purpose: The occurrence of de novo nonepileptic seizures (NES) after epilepsy surgery have been reported only twice in the literature (one article and one abstract).
Methods: We report three patients whose de novo NES were documented by video-EEG telemetry after epilepsy surgery. These patients were drawn from a sample of 166 consecutive patients who underwent epilepsy surgery at our center between 1989 and 1996.
Results: Two patients became seizure free after surgery, and one had significant improvement of her seizures. The interval between the date of surgery and the development of the symptoms was variable (8, 10, and 47 months, respectively). The clinical phenomena of NES differed from those of the epileptic seizures preceding surgery. Their diagnosis had not been suspected in two patients before the diagnostic video-EEG monitoring study. After the diagnosis of NES, spells stopped in two patients and recurred rarely in one.
Conclusions: We conclude that de novo NES appears to occur rarely after epilepsy surgery. Given that the possibility of NES was suspected in only one patient, its incidence after surgery may be higher than so far reported. Physicians should therefore consider NES in the differential diagnosis of recurrent seizures after a seizure-free period after epilepsy surgery.     

Developmental Background and Outcome in Patients with Nonepileptic Versus Epileptic Seizures: A Controlled Study

Summary: Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the relevance of developmental emotional stress factors, which are considered to influence emotional functioning, as contributing factors in the development of psychogenic symptoms.
Methods: Ten patients with nonepileptic seizures (non-ESs)(frequently referred to as psychogenic seizures), in whom diagnosis had been confirmed by a placebo-infusion test (PT), and 10 control patients with complex partial seizures (ESs) were evaluated with regard to developmental background by using structured in-depth interviews performed by a single interviewer blinded to the diagnosis. In addition, outcome assessment in the non-ES group after PT was done.
Results: There were no significant differences between groups in developmental psychosocial stress or in any single developmental stress factor. Six months after PT, the outcome was favorable in patients with non-ES: six were seizure free, and two had a considerable reduction in frequency of seizures.
Conclusions: Our research indicates the following: (a) a high incidence of developmental stress factors and functional disturbances may be found in patients with non-ESs and ESs; (b) assessment of developmental emotional stress and functional disturbances as a basis for validating the diagonsis of non-ES should be treated with caution; (c) use of PT followed by supportive information about the nonepileptic origin of the attacks may have a positive therapeutic effect or help to introduce psychotherapeutic treatment.     

Self-Injury and Incontinence in Psychogenic Seizures

Summary: Two patients who incurred significant injuries during psychogenic seizures prompted us to do a telephone survey of self-injury and incontinence in 102 consecutive patients diagnosed with psychogenic seizures by EEG-closed-circuit TV (EEG-CCTV) monitoring. Seventy-three patients (or a close family member or friend) were reached by telephone and responded to our survey. During typical attacks of psychogenic seizures, 40% reported injuries, 44% reporting tongue biting, and 44% reported urinary incontinence. Suicide attempts were reported by 32% and were more common in those with self-injury and urinary incontinence. We compared the results of patients with psychogenic seizures with those of 30 patients with refractory epilepsy documented by ictal recordings, using a similar telephone survey. Injuries of all types were more commonly reported by epilepsy patients. Burn injuries were reported only by patients with epilepsy. Suicide attempts were more commonly reported by the psychogenic seizure group. Self-injury and incontinence are commonly reported by psychogenic seizure patients. In view of their significant association with suicide attempts, they may indicate an underlying depression.     

Intractable Epilepsy and Structural Lesions of the Brain: Mapping, Resection Strategies, and Seizure Outcome

Forty-seven patients with structural brain lesions on neuroimaging studies and partial epilepsy intractable to medical therapy were studied. Prolonged noninvasive interictal and ictal EEG recording was performed, followed by more focused mapping using chronically implanted subdural electrode plates. Surgical procedures included lesion biopsy, maximal lesion excision, and/or resection of zones of epileptogenesis depending on accessibility and involvement of speech or other functional areas. The epileptogenic zone involved exclusively the region adjacent to the structural lesion in 11 patients. It extended beyond the lesion in 18 patients. Eighteen other patients had remote noncontiguous zones of epileptogenesis. Postoperative control of epilepsy was accomplished in 17 of 18 patients (94%) with complete lesion excision regardless of extent of seizure focus excision. Postoperative control of epilepsy was accomplished in 5 of 6 patients (83%) with incomplete lesion excision but complete seizure focus excision and in 12 of 23 patients (52%) with incomplete lesion excision and incomplete focus excision. The extent of lesion resection was strongly associated with surgical outcome either in itself (p less than 0.003), or in combination with focus excision. Focus resection was marginally associated with surgical outcome as a dichotomous variable (p = 0.048) and showed a trend toward significance (p = 0.07) only as a three-level outcome variable. We conclude that structural lesions are associated with zones of epileptogenesis in neighboring and remote areas of the brain. Maximum resection of the lesion offers the best chance at controlling intractable epilepsy; however, seizure control is achieved in many patients by carefully planned subtotal resection of lesions or foci.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mirror Focus: Function of Seizure Frequency and Influence on Outcome After Surgery

Summary: The concept of the mirror focus (MF) implies that an actively discharging epileptiform region may induce similar paroxysmal behavior in a homologous site. In a group of patients with complex partial seizures (CPS) we investigated whether occurrence of a MF was influenced by certain clinical factors and whether surgical out-come was influenced by the presence of an MF. Factors studied included age at onset, duration, and total number of seizures. Patients had had CPS for >3 years and had pathologically proven temporal lobe neoplasms. Seizure frequency was estimated by the history-taking physician. We estimated total seizure number by multiplying frequency by duration. Seven patients had MF, and 15 did not. Mean age at onset of seizures, duration of seizure disorder, and total seizure number did not vary statistically between the two groups of patients. All patients with an MF except 1 were seizure-free at follow-up. Ten of the 15 patients without MF were seizure-free. Three patients who were not seizure-free had had subtotal resection owing to tumor overlap with eloquent cortex. We conclude that an MF is not a contraindication to operation even when the preponderance of interictal spike activity is contralateral to the tumor or when seizures appear to arise from the MF on scalp EEG.     

Abuse,Not Financial Incentive,Predicts Non-Credible Cognitive Performance in Patients With Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures

Participants with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) who fail symptom validity testing (SVT) perform worse on neuropsychological testing than those who do not, consistent with results found in participants with different clinical presentations (e.g., mild traumatic brain injury). However, little is known about how variables typically associated with SVT failure in other populations (e.g., the presence of financial incentives, exaggerated report of psychopathology) correlate with SVT failure in participants with PNES. Likewise the relationship between SVT failure and reported abuse, one of the most frequently described demographic characteristics of the PNES population, has not been examined. We found that failure on the Word Memory Test (WMT) in 91 participants with PNES was strongly associated with reported abuse but, contrary to expectations, was not associated with the presence of financial incentives or severity of reported psychopathology. These results indicate that the factors driving WMT failure may differ significantly in participants with PNES in ways that are potentially clinically relevant.     

幕上自发性脑出血患者痫性发作的发生率及其相关因素分析——来自中国国家卒中登记数据库

【摘要】 目的 评价幕上自发性脑出血患者伴发痫性症状的发生率以及其相关危险因素。 方法 本研究为前瞻性队列研究,纳入2007年9月～2008年8月中国国家卒中登记数据库的2862例既 往无癫痫病史的发病14 d内住院的幕上自发性脑出血患者。住院时记录患者发病时或住院期间是否 合并痫性发作症状,根据是否合并痫性发作分为合并痫性发作组和未合并痫性发作组,比较两组 患者的基本特征。采用多因素回归模型评价患者的人口学特征、既往史、入院时格拉斯哥昏迷量表 （Glasgow Coma Scale,GCS）评分、幕上脑出血累及部位和体积、住院合并症与痫性发作的相关性。 结果 2862例幕上自发性脑出血患者,年龄中位数62.0岁（四分位间距53.0～72.0）,1115例（39.0%）为 女性,1921例（67.1%）既往有高血压病史。133例（4.6%）患者合并痫性发作。与未合并痫性发作患者相 比,合并痫性发作患者GCS平均评分低（9.5 vs 12.5,P =0.006）,合并脑积水（5.3% vs 1.5%,P =0.050） 和肺炎（30.1% vs 17.0%,P＜0.001）的比例高。在多因素回归分析中,下列因素与幕上自发性脑出血 患者伴发痫性发作独立相关：入院时GCS评分每降低2分［比值比（odds ratio,OR）1.32,95%可信区间 （confidence interval,CI）1.21～1.45］、血肿累及皮层（OR 5.82,95%CI 3.88～8.72）、合并脑积水（OR 2.73, 95%CI 1.14～6.56）和合并肺炎（OR 1.65,95%CI 1.09～2.52）。 结论 痫性发作是幕上自发性脑出血患者较为常见的神经系统并发症。昏迷程度、血肿累及皮层, 以及合并脑积水和肺炎是并发痫性发作症状的危险因素。     

Psychogenic relapses in childhood epilepsy in puberty and adolescence

Summary Epileptic patients who, after years of being free from symptoms, have relapses during puberty or adolescence (some-times coinciding with a reduction in therapy) pose special therapeutic and diagnostic problems. Because of pubertal lability, the cause of a relapse might seem to be organic, especially if the EEG also shows a deterioration; yet psychogenic factors must not be disregarded. On the basis of typical case studies, a characteristic constellation is presented. The achievement of a well-behaved child at first daramatically improves and this correlates with the success of antiepileptic therapy. Then individuation and further development cannot adequately take place because the family unit is not functioning properly. At a critical stage of development, the excessive expectations of the parents lead to too much stress on the child, thus destroying the balance within the family system, which has hitherto been maintained only with difficulty. Attempts to improve the situation by changing the medication (increasing the dose or switching to another drug) fail. If, however, it is realized that the symptoms are of psychogenic origin, adequate therapeutic interventions (e.g. adequate schooling or professional training as well as psychotherapy) promise good results.     

Psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures: clinical and electroencephalogram (EEG) video-tape recordings

This paper presents a clinical and electrophysiological analysis of type and duration of seizures recorded by means of long-term video electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring, a method which enables accurate diagnosis of psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures occurring with or without epileptic seizures. Analysis is based on 1083 patients, hospitalized at our department between 1990 and 1997, with a preliminary diagnosis of epilepsy. Psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures were diagnosed in 85 patients (7.8%). In 48 patients, pseudoepileptic seizures alone were diagnosed (group 1), whereas 37 patients had a mixed condition in which pseudoepileptic seizures were accompanied by epileptic seizures (group 2). For comparison of duration of pseudo- and epileptic seizures a control group (group 3), consisting of 55 patients randomly selected from the population of patients suffering from epileptic seizures alone, was parceled out. Long-term video EEG monitoring was performed in 70 patients. In 55 (79%) of these patients 230 seizures (221 pseudoepileptic and nine epileptic) were recorded. In 30 patients (32%), the diagnosis was based on clinical observation of the seizures and on the number of EEG recordings, including activating procedures such as sleep deprivation, photostimulation, hyperventilation and anti-epileptic drug withdrawal. We found that the duration of epileptic seizures was significantly shorter than the duration of psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures. Our study has exposed the difficulties involved in the diagnosis of psychogenic pseudoepileptic seizures and the negligible value of neuroimaging techniques and interictal EEG recordings in the differential diagnosis of epileptic versus nonepileptic seizures. In this study, psychogenic seizures were significantly more frequent in women than in men; patient history analysis did not confirm the hypothesis that sexual abuse may cause psychogenic seizures.     

幕上胶质瘤致癫因素分析

目的分析探讨幕上胶质瘤致癫因素。方法回顾性分析143例幕上胶质瘤患者的病理和影像学资料。所有病人都经神经影像学和病理学检查确诊。结果74.6%的额叶胶质瘤患者以癫痫为首发症状。具有钙化、肿瘤累及皮层和没有明显占位效应的胶质瘤容易产生癫痫,低级别星形细胞瘤、少枝突胶质瘤癫痫发病率较高。结论胶质瘤致癫不仅与其病理类型有关,肿瘤生长特征及部位也是重要因素。     

Corpus Callosotomy for Intractable Epilepsy: Seizure Outcome and Prognostic Factors

We reviewed the outcome of corpus callosal section in 64 adult and pediatric patients to identify factors associated with a good outcome: 48% of patients had a favorable outcome for overall seizure frequency. Improvement was noted in several seizure types and was most likely for drop attacks, particularly in the setting of a unilateral focal cerebral lesion or a true generalized epilepsy of Lennox-Gastaut type. Poor outcomes for drop attacks were more likely if there was associated severe intellectual handicap or bilateral independent spikes on interictal EEG. Complex partial seizures (CPS), most commonly of frontal lobe origin, also responded favorably. The complications of callosal section were usually mild and transient. New focal seizures occurred in only 2 patients and were not as frequent or disabling as preoperative seizure types. A worthwhile improvement in seizure outcome was achieved by completion of the callosotomy in 6 of 10 patients with unsatisfactory results from anterior callosotomy.