Download PDF
Journal of Pediatric Epilepsy 2017; 06(02): 081-090
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1599187
Review Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Exploring Pre- and Postoperative Profiles of Hot Water Epilepsy: Revisiting Pathogenic Mechanisms

William Schraegle
1   Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas, United States
2   Department of Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
,
Nancy Nussbaum
1   Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas, United States
2   Department of Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
,
Dave Clarke
1   Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas, United States
3   Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Austin, Texas, United States
,
Cheng Ma
1   Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas, Austin, Texas, United States
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

09 October 2015

17 March 2016

Publication Date:
02 March 2017 (online)

    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Hot water epilepsy (HWE) refers to a rare form of reflex epilepsy precipitated by the stimulus of pouring hot water over the head or by bathing. Despite being most commonly seen in southern India, isolated HWE cases have surfaced in western countries. HWE classically manifests as simple or complex partial with temporal lobe semiology. About a quarter of patients show interictal EEG abnormalities, which mostly occur over the temporal lobes. HWE has two established variants that are typically benign. We present two cases where HWE preceded spontaneous seizures, which later progressed to pharmacoresistant epilepsy. These cases garner further evidence for a symptomatic variant of HWE. Additionally, clinical features of HWE are discussed and an updated model of pathogenesis incorporating self-inducement phenomenon is proposed.

Keywords

hot water epilepsy - epilepsy surgery - self-induction - pathogenesis
 

  • References

  • 1 Italiano D, Ferlazzo E, Gasparini S , et al. Generalized versus partial reflex seizures: a review. Seizure 2014; 23 (7) 512-520
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Seneviratne U. Reflex epilepsies; clinical and demographic characteristics in a tropical country. J Clin Neurosci 2005; 12 (7) 767-769
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Pavlidou E, Gkampeta A, Dosiadi E, Pavlou E. Hot water epilepsy: case report and literature review. J Pediatric Sci 2013; 5: e197-e197
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Zifkin BG, Zatorre RJ. Musicogenic epilepsy. Adv Neurol 1998; 75: 273-281
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Mani KS, Mani AJ, Ramesh CK. Hot-water epilepsy—a peculiar type of reflex epilepsy: clinical and EEG features in 108 cases. Trans Am Neurol Assoc 1974; 99: 224-226
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Subrahmanayam HS. Hotwater epilepsy. Neurology (India) 1972; 20 (suppl II): 241-243
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Satishchandra P, Shivaramakrishana A, Kaliaperumal VG, Schoenberg BS. Hot-water epilepsy: a variant of reflex epilepsy in southern India. Epilepsia 1988; 29 (1) 52-56
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Satishchandra P. Hot-water epilepsy. Epilepsia 2003; 44 (Suppl. 01) 29-32
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Szymonowicz W, Meloff KL. Hot water epilepsy. Can J Neurol Sci 1978; 5 (2) 247-251
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Bhaduri A, Krishnaswamy L, Ullal GR, Panicker MM, Sowdhamini R. Fold prediction and comparative modeling of Bdm1: a probable alpha/beta hydrolase associated with hot water epilepsy. J Mol Model 2003; 9 (1) 3-8
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Ioos C, Fohlen M, Villeneuve N , et al. Hot water epilepsy: a benign and unrecognized form. J Child Neurol 2000; 15 (2) 125-128
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Hizem Y, Gargouri A, Ben Djebara M , et al. Hot water epilepsy with pachygyria. Neurol Sci 2012; 33 (3) 631-633
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Lee YC, Yen DJ, Lirng JF, Yiu CH. Epileptic seizures in a patient by immersing his right hand into hot water. Seizure 2000; 9 (8) 605-607
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Kowacs PA, Marchioro IJ, Silva Jr EB, Rocha SF, Simão CA, Meneses MS. [“Hot-water epilepsy,” “warm-water epilepsy,” or bathing epilepsy? Report of three cases and considerations regarding an old theme]. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2005; 63 (2B): 399-401
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Mofenson HC, Weymuller CA, Greensher J. Epilepsy due to water immersion: an unusual case of reflex sensory epilepsy. JAMA 1965; 191: 600-601
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Lenoir P, Ramet J, De Meirleir L, D'Allest AM, Desprechins B, Loeb H. Bathing-induced seizures. Pediatr Neurol 1989; 5 (2) 124-125
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Shaw NJ, Livingston JH, Minns RA, Clarke M. Epilepsy precipitated by bathing. Dev Med Child Neurol 1988; 30 (1) 108-111
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Nechay A, Stephenson JB. Bath-induced paroxysmal disorders in infancy. Eur J Paediatr Neurol 2009; 13 (3) 203-208
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Engel Jr J ; International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). A proposed diagnostic scheme for people with epileptic seizures and with epilepsy: report of the ILAE Task Force on Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia 2001; 42 (6) 796-803
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Allen IM. Observation on cases of reflex epilepsy. N Z Med J 1945; 44: 135-144
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Stensman R, Ursing B. Epilepsy precipitated by hot water immersion. Neurology 1971; 21 (5) 559-562
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Belcastro V, Parnetti L, Prontera P, Donti E, Rossi A, Tambasco N. Hot water epilepsy and McCune-Albright syndrome: a case report. Seizure 2009; 18 (2) 161-162
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Tajima Y, Minami N, Sudo K, Moriwaka F, Tashiro K. Hot water epilepsy with pineal cyst and cavum septi pellucidi. J Psychiatry Neurol 1993; 47 (1) 111-114
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Manfredi M, Attolini MD, Marconi GL, Sanvito C, Baroni L, Correggi A. Seven years of hot water epilepsy in a European boy. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2012; 51 (4) 389-390
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Syed R. Hot water epilepsy: a rare form of reflex epilepsy. J Neurosci Rural Pract 2010; 1 (2) 99-101
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Bebek N, Gürses C, Gokyigit A, Baykan B, Ozkara C, Dervent A. Hot water epilepsy: clinical and electrophysiologic findings based on 21 cases. Epilepsia 2001; 42 (9) 1180-1184
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Meghana A, Sinha S, Sathyaprabha TN, Subbakrishna DK, Satishchandra P. Hot water epilepsy clinical profile and treatment—a prospective study. Epilepsy Res 2012; 102 (3) 160-166
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 Satishchandra P, Sinha S. Hot-water epilepsy: from bench to bedside. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2013; 16 (2) 137-143
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Plouin P, Vigevano F. Reflex seizures in infancy. In: Wolf P, Inoue Y, Zifkin B, , eds. Reflex Epilepsies: Progress in Understanding. Montrouge, France: John Libbey Eurotext; 2004: 115-122
    Google Scholar
  • 30 Bebek N. Hot Water Epilepsy. Atlas of Epilepsies; 2010: 1119-1124
    Google Scholar
  • 31 Yalçin AD, Toydemir HE, Forta H. Hot water epilepsy: clinical and electroencephalographic features of 25 cases. Epilepsy Behav 2006; 9 (1) 89-94
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Tezer FI, Ertas N, Yalcin D, Saygi S. Hot water epilepsy with cerebral lesion: a report of five cases with cranial MRI findings. Epilepsy Behav 2006; 8 (3) 672-676
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Wolf P, Koepp M. Reflex epilepsies. Handb Clin Neurol 2012; 107: 257-276
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Dashi F, Seferi A, Rroji A, Enesi E, Petrela M. Bathing epilepsy: report of three Caucasian cases. Acta Inform Med 2015; 23 (2) 113-115
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 35 Franzoni E, Gentile V, Grosso S, Brunetto D, Cordelli DM, Balestri P. Bathing epilepsy: report of two Caucasian cases. Epileptic Disord 2010; 12 (1) 88-90
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 36 Zeki G, Ilker IH, Hidir UU, Zeki O. Hot water epilepsy: seizure type, water temperature, EEG findings and treatment. Neurologist 2010; 16 (2) 109-112
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Grosso S, Farnetani MA, Francione S , et al. Hot water epilepsy and focal malformation of the parietal cortex development. Brain Dev 2004; 26 (7) 490-493
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 38 Patel M, Satishchandra P, Aravinda H, Bharath RD, Sinha S. Hot water epilepsy: Phenotype and single photon emission computed tomography observations. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2014; 17 (4) 470-472
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 39 De Keyzer K, Corthouts I, Van Coster R, Verhelst H. Hot-water epilepsy: a new Caucasian case. Eur J Pediatr 2005; 164 (3) 184-185
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 40 Bebek N, Baykan B, Gürses C, Emir O, Gökyiğit A. Self-induction behavior in patients with photosensitive and hot water epilepsy: a comparative study from a tertiary epilepsy center in Turkey. Epilepsy Behav 2006; 9 (2) 317-326
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 41 Ratnapriya R, Satishchandra P, Kumar SD, Gadre G, Reddy R, Anand A. A locus for autosomal dominant reflex epilepsy precipitated by hot water maps at chromosome 10q21.3-q22.3. Hum Genet 2009; 125 (5–6): 541-549
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 42 Ratnapriya R, Satishchandra P, Dilip S, Gadre G, Anand A. Familial autosomal dominant reflex epilepsy triggered by hot water maps to 4q24-q28. Hum Genet 2009; 126 (5) 677-683
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 43 Lisovoski F, Prier S, Koskas P , et al. Hot-water epilepsy in an adult: ictal EEG, MRI and SPECT features. Seizure 1992; 1 (3) 203-206
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 44 Sandhya M, Bharath RD, Panda R , et al. Understanding the pathophysiology of reflex epilepsy using simultaneous EEG-fMRI. Epileptic Disord 2014; 16 (1) 19-29
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 45 Bharath RD, Sinha S, Panda R , et al. Seizure frequency can alter brain connectivity: evidence from resting-state fMRI. Am J Neuroradiol 2015; 36 (10) 1890-1898
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 46 Montell C. TRP channels: it's not the heat, it's the humidity. Curr Biol 2008; 18 (3) R123-R126
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 47 Filingeri D, Fournet D, Hodder S, Havenith G. Why wet feels wet? A neurophysiological model of human cutaneous wetness sensitivity. J Neurophysiol 2014; 112 (6) 1457-1469
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 48 Lochmann T, Deneve S. Neural processing as causal inference. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2011; 21 (5) 774-781
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 49 Tiest WM, Kosters ND, Kappers AM, Daanen HA. Phase change materials and the perception of wetness. Ergonomics 2012; 55 (4) 508-512
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 50 Norrsell U, Finger S, Lajonchere C. Cutaneous sensory spots and the “law of specific nerve energies”: history and development of ideas. Brain Res Bull 1999; 48 (5) 457-465
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 51 Klauenberg BJ, Sparber SB. A kindling-like effect induced by repeated exposure to heated water in rats. Epilepsia 1984; 25 (3) 292-301
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 52 Satishchandra PU, Ulla GR, Sinha A, Shankar SK. Pathophysiology and genetics of hot-water epilepsy. Curr Prob E 1999; 13: 169-178
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 53 Ullal GR, Satishchandra P, Shankar SK. Hyperthermic seizures: an animal model for hot-water epilepsy. Seizure 1996; 5 (3) 221-228
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 54 Satishchandra P, Kallur KG, Jayakumar PN. Inter-ictal and ictal 99m TC ECD SPECT scan in hot-water epilepsy. Epilepsia 2001; 42: S1-S158
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 55 Shankar SK, Satishchandra P. Autopsy study of brains in hot water epilepsy. Neurology 1994; 42: 56-57
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 56 Etkin A, Egner T, Kalisch R. Emotional processing in anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2011; 15 (2) 85-93
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 57 Critchley HD, Wiens S, Rotshtein P, Ohman A, Dolan RJ. Neural systems supporting interoceptive awareness. Nat Neurosci 2004; 7 (2) 189-195
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 58 Richter-Levin G, Akirav I. Amygdala-hippocampus dynamic interaction in relation to memory. Mol Neurobiol 2000; 22 (1–3): 11-20
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 59 Meghana A, Sathyaprabha TN, Sinha S, Satishchandra P. Cardiac autonomic dysfunction in drug naïve hot water epilepsy. Seizure 2012; 21 (9) 706-710
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 60 Price JL, Drevets WC. Neurocircuitry of mood disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35 (1) 192-216
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 61 Ullal GR, Satishchandra P, Kalladka D , et al. Kindling & mossy fibre sprouting in the rat hippocampus following hot water induced hyperthermic seizures. Indian J Med Res 2006; 124 (3) 331-342
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 62 Shohamy D, Adcock RA. Dopamine and adaptive memory. Trends Cogn Sci 2010; 14 (10) 464-472
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 63 Kuhl BA, Shah AT, DuBrow S, Wagner AD. Resistance to forgetting associated with hippocampus-mediated reactivation during new learning. Nat Neurosci 2010; 13 (4) 501-506
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 64 Leh SE, Ptito A, Chakravarty MM, Strafella AP. Fronto-striatal connections in the human brain: a probabilistic diffusion tractography study. Neurosci Lett 2007; 419 (2) 113-118
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 65 Asheim Hansen B, Brodtkorb E. Partial epilepsy with “ecstatic” seizures. Epilepsy Behav 2003; 4 (6) 667-673
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 66 Ng BY. Psychiatric aspects of self-induced epileptic seizures. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2002; 36 (4) 534-543
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 67 Gokcil Z, Ipekdal HI, Ulas UH, Odabasi Z. Hot water epilepsy: seizure type, water temperature, EEG findings and treatment. The neurologist 2010; 16 (2) 109-112
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar