Nocturnal Seizures

Carl W. Bazil

doi:10.1055/s-2004-835071

Seminars in Neurology, Table of Contents

Semin Neurol 2004; 24(3): 293-300
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-835071

Nocturnal Seizures

Carl W. Bazil¹

¹Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York, New York

Abstract

As a subset of epilepsy, nocturnal seizures amplify one of the major problems of epilepsy in general: episodes are less likely to be directly witnessed than daytime seizures, and therefore diagnosis and characterization are more difficult. As a sleep problem, nocturnal seizures are not benign, and the resulting sleep disruption can cause daytime somnolence and concentration difficulty. This article outlines three major topics in nocturnal seizures: differential diagnosis (distinguishing between seizures and parasomnias), the effects of nocturnal seizures on sleep structure, and specific syndromes of primarily or exclusively nocturnal seizures.

KEYWORDS

Sleep - seizure - epilepsy - juvenile myoclonic epilepsy - frontal lobe - benign Rolandic epilepsy - polysomnography

Full Text

References

REFERENCES

1 Guilleminault C, Montplaisir J, Billiard M, Dement W C. Automatic behavior syndrome in patients with excessive daytime somnolence. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1975; 39 432-433
2 Broughton R J. Behavioral parasomnias. In: Chokroverty S, Daroff RB Sleep Disorders Medicine Boston; Butterworth Heinemann 1999: 635-660
3 National Sleep Foundation .2001 Sleep in America Poll. Washington, DC; National Sleep Foundation 2001
4 Chervin R D, Guilleminault C. Obstructive sleep apnea and related disorders. Neurol Clin. 1996; 14 583-609
5 Malow B A, Levy K, Maturen K, Bowes R. Obstructive sleep apnea is common in medically refractory epilepsy patients. Neurology. 2000; 55 1002-1007
6 Devinsky O, Ehrenberg B, Barthlen G M, Abramson H S, Luciano D. Epilepsy and sleep apnea syndrome. Neurology. 1994; 44 2060-2064
7 Kales A, Soldatos C R, Caldwell A B et al.. Somnambulism: clinical characteristics and personality patterns. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1980; 37 1406-1410
8 Bixler E O, Kales A, Soldatos C R, Kales J D, Healey S. Prevalence of sleep disorders in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Am J Psychiatry. 1979; 136 1257-1262
9 Klackenberg G. Somnambulism in childhood-prevalence, course and behavioral correlates: a prospective longitudinal study (6-16 years). Acta Paediatr Scand. 1982; 71 495-499
10 Mahowald M W, Schenck C H. NREM sleep parasomnias. Neurol Clin. 1996; 14 675-696
11 Strang R R. The symptoms of RLS. Med J Aust. 1967; 1 1211-1213
12 Lavigne G J, Montplaisir J Y. Restless legs syndrome and sleep bruxism: prevalence and association among Canadians. Sleep. 1994; 17 739-743
13 Bixler E O, Kales A, Vela-Bueno A, Jacoby J A, Scarone S, Soldatos C R. Nocturnal myoclonus and nocturnal myoclonic activity in the normal population. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol. 1982; 36 129-140
14 Ancoli-Israel S, Kripke D F, Mason W, Kaplan O J. Sleep apnea and periodic movements in an aging sample. J Gerontol. 1985; 40 419-425
15 Mosko S S, Dickel M J, Paul T et al.. Sleep apnea and sleep-related periodic leg movements in community resident seniors. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1988; 36 502-508
16 Bannerman C. Sleep disorders in the later years. Postgrad Med. 1988; 84 265-274
17 Trenkwalder C, Walters A S, Hening W. Periodic limb movements and restless legs syndrome. Neurol Clin. 1996; 14 629-650
18 Overeem S, Mignot E, van Dijk J G, Lammers G J. Narcolepsy: clinical features, new pathophysiologic insights, and future perspectives. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2001; 18 78-105
19 Bassetti C, Aldrich M. Narcolepsy. Neurol Clin. 1996; 14 545-571
20 Guilleminault C, Wilson R A, Dement W C. A study on cataplexy. Arch Neurol. 1974; 31 255-261
21 Robinson A, Guilleminault C. Narcoleosy. In: Chokroverly S, Daroff RB Sleep Disorders Medicine. Boston; Butterworth 1999: 427-440
22 Hublin S, Kaprio J, Partinen M et al.. The prevalence of narcolepsy: an epidemiological study of the Finnish twin cohort. Ann Neurol. 1994; 35 709-716
23 Billiard M, Alperovitch A, Perot C et al.. Excessive daytime somnolence in young men: prevalence and contributing factors. Sleep. 1987; 10 297-305
24 Dahlitz M , Parkes J D. Sleep paralysis. Lancet. 1993; 341 406-407
25 Roth B, Buuhova S, Berkova L. Familial sleep paralysis. Schweiz Arch Neurol Neurochir Psychiatr. 1968; 102 321-330
26 Aldrich M. The clinical spectrum of narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. Neurology. 1996; 46 393-401
27 Schenck C H, Bundlie S R, Mahowald M W. Human REM sleep chronic behavior disorders: a new category of parasomnia. Sleep Research. 1985; 14 208
28 Schenck C H, Bundlie S R, Patterson A L, Mahowald M W. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a treatable parasomnia affecting older adults. JAMA. 1987; 257 1786-1789
29 Olson E J, Boeve B F, Silber M H. Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder: demographic, clinical and laboratory findings in 93 cases. Brain. 2000; 123(Pt 2) 331-339
30 Husain A M, Miller P P, Carwile S T. REM sleep behavior disorder: potential relationship to post-traumatic stress disorder. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2001; 18(2) 148-157
31 Schenck C H, Mahowald M W. REM sleep parasomnias. Neurol Clin. 1996; 14 697-720
32 Besset A. Influence of generalized seizures on sleep organization. In: Sterman MB, Shouse MN, Passouant P Sleep and Epilepsy New York; Academic Press 1982: 339-346
33 Touchon J, Baldy-Moulinier M, Billiard M, Besset A, Valmier J, Cadilhac J. Organisation du sommeil dans l'epilepsie récente du lobe temporal avant et après traitment par carbamazepine. Rev Neurol. 1987; 143 462-467
34 Tachibana N, Shinde A, Ikeda A, Akiguchi I, Kimura J, Shibasaki H. Supplementary motor area seizure resembling sleep disorder. Sleep. 1996; 19(10) 811-816
35 Crespel A, Baldy-Moulinier M, Coubes P. The relationship between sleep and epilepsy in frontal and temporal lobe epilepsies: practical and physiopathologic considerations. Epilepsia. 1998; 39(2) 150-157
36 Bazil C W, Castro L HM, Walczak T S. Reduction of rapid eye movement sleep by diurnal and nocturnal seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy. Arch Neurol. 2000; 57 363-368
37 Touchon J, Baldy-Moulinier M, Billiard M et al.. Sleep organization and epilepsy. In: Degen R, Rodin EA Epilepsy, Sleep, and Sleep Deprivation Amsterdam; Elsevier 1991: 73-81
38 Bazil C W, Walczak T S. Effects of sleep and sleep stage on epileptic and nonepileptic seizures. Epilepsia. 1997; 38(1) 56-62
39 Herman S T, Walczak T S, Bazil C W. Distribution of partial seizures during the sleep-wake cycle: differences by seizure onset site. Neurology. 2001; 56 1453-1458
40 Park S A, Lee B I, Lee S J, Kim W J, Lee J H, Kim J Y. Clinical courses of pure sleep epilepsies. Seizure. 1998; 7 369-377
41 Yaqub B A, Waheed G, Kabiraj M M. Nocturnal epilepsies in adults. Seizure. 1997; 6 145-149
42 Malow B A, Passaro E A, Hall J H et al.. Sleep deprivation does not increase seizure frequency during long term monitoring. Epilepsia. 1999; 40(suppl 7) 99-100
43 Quigg M, Straume M, Menaker M, Bertram E H. Temporal distribution of partial seizures: comparison of an animal model with human partial epilepsy. Ann Neurol. 1998; 43 748-755
44 Bazil C W, Short D W, Crispin D, Zheng W. Patients with intractable epilepsy have low melatonin, which increases following seizures. Neurology. 2000; 55 1746-1748
45 Fauteck J D, Schmidt H, Lerchl A, Kurlemann G, Wittkowski W. Melatonin in epilepsy: first results of replacement therapy and first clinical results. Biol Signals Recept. 1999; 8 105-110
46 Peled N, Shorer Z, Peled E, Pillar G. Melatonin effect on seizures in children with severe neurologic deficit disorders. Epilepsia. 2001; 42 1208-1210
47 Wolf P, Schmitt J J. Awakening epilepsies and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. In: Bazil CW, Malow BA, Sammaritano MR Sleep and Epilepsy: The Clinical Spectrum Elsevier; Amsterdam 2002: 237-243
48 Shinnar S, Berg A T, Moshe S L et al.. Discontinuing antiepileptic drugs in children with epilepsy: a prospective study. Ann Neurol. 1994; 35 534-545
49 Blom S, Heijbel J, Bergfors P G. Benign epilepsy of children with centro-temporal EEG foci. Prevalence and follow-up study of 40 patients. Epilepsia. 1972; 13 609-619
50 Blom S, Heijbel J. Benign epilepsy of children with centro-temporal EEG foci. Discharge rate during sleep. Epilepsia. 1975; 16 133-140
51 Hirsch E, Marescaux P, Maquet P et al.. Landau-Kleffner syndrome: a clinical and EEG study of five cases. Epilepsia. 1990; 31 756-767
52 O’Regan M E, Brown J K, Goodwin G M, Clarke M. Epileptic aphasia: a consequence of regional hypometabolic encephalopathy?. Dev Med Child Neurol. 1998; 40 508-516
53 Mendez M, Radtke R A. Interactions between sleep and epilepsy. J Clin Neurophysiol. 2001; 18 106-127
54 Provini F, Plazzi G, Tinuper P, Vandi S, Lugaresi E, Montagna P. Nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. A clinical and polygraphic overview of 100 consecutive cases. Brain. 1999; 122 1017-1031
55 Oldani A, Zucconi M, Asselta R et al.. Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. A video-polysomnographic and genetic appraisal of 40 patients and delineation of the epileptic syndrome. Brain. 1998; 121 205-223

Carl W BazilM.D. Ph.D.

Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center

710 West 168th Street, New York

NY 10032