MRI-negative frontal lobe epilepsy with ipsilateral akinesia and reflex activation

The pre-operative assessment and surgical management of children and young adults with MRI-negative, frontal lobe epilepsy is often challenging owing to the semiologic expression being unusual or non-lateralizing. Localization based on functional tests may be non-convergent, further compounding the difficulty of surgical planning. We describe a patient with seizures presenting with early, subjective akinesia of the dominant hand that were at times triggered by repetitive motor tasks. Subdural EEG monitoring revealed seizure-origin in the ipsilateral dorsolateral frontal lobe. After resective surgery the patient has had a seizure free period of 9 months, and is free of deficits. This is the first report of frontal lobe seizure semiology consisting of ipsilateral ictal akinesia.