RETURNYonago Acta medica 1991;34:293-298
Myoclonic Seizures on Closing of the Eyes in a Non-Photosensitlve Patient with Myoclonic Astatic Epilepsy
Masumi Inagaki, Noriko Suzuki, Tatsuya Koeda, Kazuhiro Kamuro and Kenzo Takeshita
Division of Child Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago 683, Japan
A male infant with myoclonic astatic epilepsy showed myoclonic seizures of the eyelids on closing of the eyes. No photosensitivity was observed on electroencephalograms (EEGs) with flash stimulation and the seizures could be induced even in total darkness. The latency between lid closure and the onset of paroxysmal discharges on EEGs was 0.51 s on the average. An abnormality of the trigeminal elicited blink reflex was observed when myoclonic seizures became very frequent. The seizure activity in this patient might be induced via the brain-stem reticular formation, considering the corticoreticular hyperexcitability in myoclonic astatic epilepsy.
Key words: brain-stem reticular formation; eye closure seizure; myoclonic astatic epilepsy; reflex epilepsy