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Nocturnal Frontal Lobe Epilepsy: Sporadic Versus
Familial Cases
Luigi Ferini-Strambi, M.D., Alessandro Oldani, M.D., Marco Zucconi, M.D., Rosanna Asselta, M.D., Maria Teresa Bonati, M.D., Leda Dalpr , M.D., Stefano Duga, M.D.,
Massimo Malcovati, M.D., and Maria Luisa Tenchini, M.D.
A lot of clinical and neurophysiological studies on patients with abnormal nocturnal mo-tor
and behavioural phenomena have been performed during the last thirty years. The eti-ologic
conclusions of these studies were often in conflict between an epileptic or non-epi-leptic
origin. The systematic use of nocturnal video-polysomnography has largely impro-ved
the diagnostic yield in patients with clusters of nocturnal motor events. We perfor-med
an extensive clinical and video-polysomnographic study in 147 patients compla-ining
of repeated abnormal nocturnal motor and/or behavioural phenomena. On the ba-sis
of a detailed clinical assessment and of a complete nocturnal video-polysomnograp-hic
study we diagnosed 35 patients as having parasomnia, 67 sporadic nocturnal frontal
lobe epilepsy and 45 familial (autosomal dominant) nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. We fo-und
no difference in clinical and neurophysiological data between familial and sporadic
cases of nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. However, it should be stressed the difference
between nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy and parasomnias. In any case, large and full vi-deo-
polysomnographical studies are of the utmost importance in order to clarify the real
prevalence of both nocturnal (either sporadic and familial form) frontal lobe epilepsy and
parasomnias, and to provide a correct therapy. (Sleep and Hypnosis 2000;1:22-25)
| Keywords: nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, sleep, parasomnias. |
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