Epilepsy spectrum disorders: A concept in need of validation or refutation

Medical Hypotheses
Nash N BoutrosJeffrey A Loeb

Abstract

Episodic psychiatric symptoms are not uncommon and range from panic attacks to repeated violent acts. Some evidence has accumulated over the years that at least in a subset of patients exhibiting these symptoms there may be evidence for the presence of focal cortical/subcortical hyperexcitability. In these cases the condition could be conceptualized as an epilepsy spectrum disorder (ESD) with significant treatment implications. There is currently no clear demarcation of this category of symptoms, their prevalence, an understanding of how these symptoms occur, what is appropriate work up and possible treatments. In this article, we propose that milder degrees of increased neural excitability (i.e., a subthreshold excitation insufficient to cause seizures) may nonetheless be capable of causing observable phenotypic changes. The observable phenotypic changes depend on the degree of hyperexcitability and the location of the hyperexcitable neural tissue. The location of the abnormal neural tissue may dictate the initial manifestation of an attack resulting from activation of the hyperexcitable tissue, but the anatomical connectivity of the abnormal region will dictate the breadth of manifestations. We provide some evidence, derived ...Continue Reading

References

May 1, 1992·Brain Injury : [BI]·W H VerduynR J Roberts
Jul 1, 1991·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·V M NeppeK S Sawchuk
Aug 1, 1991·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·J A SpringerR J Roberts
Jun 1, 1991·Seminars in Neurology·J H Pincus, D O Lewis
Sep 1, 1990·Annals of Neurology·M R Sperling, M J O'Connor
Jan 1, 1989·The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences·D O Lewis, J H Pincus
Jun 1, 1986·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·G J TuckerT McAllister
Dec 1, 1982·The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease·R R Monroe
Aug 1, 1984·Psychological Medicine·R C Howard
Oct 1, 1994·Scientific American·A R Damasio
Jul 1, 1997·Clinical EEG (electroencephalography)·C M de GrootR Allen
Mar 30, 2000·The American Journal of Psychiatry·J M GormanJ D Coplan
Sep 10, 2002·Alcohol and Alcoholism : International Journal of the Medical Council on Alcoholism·Karen BrebnerDavid C S Roberts
May 2, 2003·The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences·Nashaat N BoutrosThomas H McGlashan
Jun 14, 2003·Pharmacopsychiatry·J GallinatU Hegerl
Jan 18, 2005·CNS Drugs·Mehmet Sofuoglu, Thomas R Kosten
Feb 24, 2005·Journal of Psychiatric Research·Nashaat N BoutrosThomas R Kosten
Apr 29, 2005·Epilepsia·James X TaoJohn S Ebersole
Sep 30, 2005·Brain Topography·J E MoranN Tepley
Jan 1, 1995·Applied Neuropsychology·M E HinesN R Varney
Jan 17, 2007·NeuroImage·C A SchevonF Gilliam
Jan 24, 2007·Epilepsia·Stefano MelettiGiorgio Lo Russo
Feb 29, 2008·The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences·Bhaskara P ShelleyNash N Boutros
Aug 16, 2008·The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, New York·Ellen J Hoffman, Sanjay J Mathew
Dec 5, 2009·The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry : the Official Journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry·Fabiana L LopesAntonio E Nardi
Mar 13, 2010·Annals of Neurology·Jonathan K KleenPierre Pascal Lenck-Santini
May 11, 2010·Neurobiology of Disease·Omar I KhanGregory L Holmes
Mar 4, 2011·Epilepsia·Kost ElisevichSusan M Bowyer
Jan 1, 1942·Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry·D Hill, D Watterson
Apr 5, 2012·Neurobiology of Disease·Daniel T BarkmeierJeffrey A Loeb
Jan 8, 2013·Psychiatry Research·Mohammadreza MokhtariNash Boutros

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Aug 3, 2017·CNS Spectrums·Nash N Boutros
Aug 4, 2018·Clinical EEG and Neuroscience·Nash BoutrosKathleen Gustafson
Sep 16, 2018·European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry·Ronald J SwatzynaGerald P Kozlowski
Jun 10, 2020·Scientific Reports·Hilgo BruiningKlaus Linkenkaer-Hansen

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.

Autism: Motor Learning

A common feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the impairment of motor control and learning, consistent with perturbation in cerebellar function. Find the latest research on ASD and motor learning here.

Amygdala and Midbrain Dopamine

The midbrain dopamine system is widely studied for its involvement in emotional and motivational behavior. Some of these neurons receive information from the amygdala and project throughout the cortex. When the circuit and transmission of dopamine is disrupted symptoms may present. Here is the latest research on the amygdala and midbrain dopamine.

Attention Disorders

Attention is involved in all cognitive activities, and attention disorders are reported in patients with various neurological diseases. Here are the latest discoveries pertaining to attention disorders.

Amygdala: Sensory Processes

Amygdalae, nuclei clusters located in the temporal lobe of the brain, play a role in memory, emotional responses, and decision-making. Here is the latest research on sensory processes in the amygdala.

Brain Injury & Trauma

brain injury after impact to the head is due to both immediate mechanical effects and delayed responses of neural tissues.

Autism

Autism spectrum disorder is associated with challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and often accompanied by sensory sensitivities and medical issues. Here is the latest research on autism.

Related Papers

Journal of the Neurological Sciences
Anna ScaliseGian Luigi Gigli
The Journal of Family Practice
D A Katerndahl
Ceskoslovenská pediatrie
M Vichnar
The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science
P Kukumberg, A Strecko
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved