Clinical-neurophysiological features of motor lesions in patients with post-stroke epilepsy

Twenty-two patients with post-stroke epilepsy (group 1) were studied, along with 30 stroke patients without epilepsy (group 2). Bilateral (on both the paralyzed and intact sides) decreases in the central conduction time (CCT) along the pyramidal tract were found in group 1, which were not seen in group 2, who had similarly severe motor lesions (p < 0.01). The tendency to decreased CCT was also seen 5-6 days after ischemic stroke in patients without epileptic manifestations, though CCT in this group increased by day 10-14; low values persisted in group 1 for prolonged periods. The facilitation differentiation (deltaF, the difference in CCT between resting and effort conditions) was also found to increase. In patients with post-stroke epilepsy, motor lesions were characterized by higher levels of muscle tone than in other stroke patients, though the levels of paralysis were similar.