Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
Published on: April 11, 2019
Ictal eye closure is a reliable indicator for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures
Steve S Chung1, Paula Gerber, Kristin A Kirlin
1Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA. sschung@chw.edu
Abstract:
Using data from video-EEG monitoring, the authors studied whether ictal eye closure was a reliable indicator of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Among the 52 patients with PNES, 50 consistently closed their eyes, while 152 of the 156 patients with epileptic seizures (ES) opened their eyes during seizures. These findings suggest that ictal eye closure is a highly reliable indicator for PNES, while ictal eye opening is an indicator of ES.
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