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Rolandic epilepsy: clinical and electroencephalographic features
1Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
Insights
Benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE), a common childhood seizure disorder, presents with specific nocturnal and diurnal seizures. These seizures, characterized by unique EEG patterns, are typically infrequent and easily managed when treatment is initiated.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Epileptology
- Clinical Neuroscience
Background:
- Benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE) is a prevalent idiopathic epilepsy syndrome exclusively affecting children.
- Clinical manifestations include nocturnal generalized tonic-clonic seizures and diurnal simple partial seizures involving facial clonic activity, dysphasia, and drooling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics of benign rolandic epilepsy.
- To outline the typical age of onset, seizure frequency, and treatment outcomes for BRE.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical case data and EEG findings in pediatric patients diagnosed with BRE.
- Analysis of seizure semiology, sleep-activated EEG abnormalities, and response to antiepileptic drug therapy.
Main Results:
- BRE is characterized by distinctive high-amplitude, centrotemporal spikes on EEG, which are typically activated during sleep.
- Seizures usually commence within the first decade of life and resolve by adolescence, typically before age 16.
- While seizures can occur in clusters, they are generally infrequent and respond well to treatment.
Conclusions:
- Benign rolandic epilepsy is a distinct childhood epilepsy syndrome with characteristic clinical and EEG features.
- The disorder has a favorable prognosis, with seizures typically remitting spontaneously in adolescence.
- Effective seizure control is achievable when therapeutic intervention is pursued.
Abstract:
Benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE) is a common seizure disorder confined solely to children. The disorder is marked clinically by nocturnal generalized tonic-clonic seizures and diurnal seizures consisting of simple partial seizures consisting of brief unilateral facial clonic activity, dysphasia, and drooling. The EEG abnormalities are unique, consisting of generally high amplitude, centrotemporal spikes that are activated by sleep. The seizures typically begin in the first decade and almost always stop by age 16 years. The seizures are usually infrequent although clusters of seizures do occur. When the physician elects to treat, the seizures are usually easily controlled.