Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T15:22:37.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 103 - Reflex epilepsy with higher-level processing

from Section 4 - Provoked epilepsies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2012

Simon D. Shorvon
Affiliation:
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London
Frederick Andermann
Affiliation:
Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute
Renzo Guerrini
Affiliation:
Child Neurology Unit, Meyer Pediatric Hospital, Florence
Get access

Summary

The seizures of reflex epilepsy are reliably precipitated by some identifiable factor. Reports of higher-level triggers such as calculation, reading, and thinking pre-date modern imaging and epilepsy monitoring. This chapter considers seizures induced by thinking and action programming (planned action or praxis), reading and other language-related triggers, and some related stimuli. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows activations in most subjects in areas overlapping or adjacent to those physiologically activated during language and facial motor tasks, including subcortical structures, without significant lesions. Treatments for these reflex seizures are medical and nonmedical. General advice to avoid sleep deprivation and alcohol excess is given, especially since juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is typically worsened by sleep deprivation. Patients with reading epilepsy may decline medication if they do not have generalized convulsive seizures. Antiepileptic drugs for generalized epilepsies are usually effective, especially when combined with non-medical approaches.
Type
Chapter
Information
The Causes of Epilepsy
Common and Uncommon Causes in Adults and Children
, pp. 720 - 722
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×