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Electroencephalographic features of benign adult familial myoclonic epilepsy
Tomoko Toyota1, Naoki Akamatsu1, Akihiro Tanaka1
1Department of Neurology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health School of Medicine, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Objective:
To investigate electroencephalographic (EEG) features of benign adult familial myoclonic epilepsy (BAFME).
Methods:
We reviewed interictal EEG features in patients with BAFME treated between April 2005 and November 2012 at a tertiary referral center. The diagnostic criteria for BAFME were the presence of infrequent generalized tonic-clonic seizures, myoclonus or myoclonic seizures, and autosomal dominant inheritance. Interictal EEG findings of epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizure only (EGTCS) were reviewed for comparison. We randomly selected 10 generalized spike/polyspike and wave complexes (GSW) for each BAFME patient and measured the duration of them. Photic stimulation and hyperventilation were performed in all.
Results:
Nineteen (eight men, 11 women) patients with BAFME were included in this study. The mean frequency of GSW was 4.3±1.0Hz (mean±SD, n=14) in BAFME and 3.2±0.8Hz (n=10) in EGTCS. There was a statistically significant difference (p=0.008) between the two. Photoparoxysmal responses (PPR) were noted in 18 (95%) patients with BAFME but 1 (10%) with EGTCS.
Conclusion:
Faster frequency of GSW, compared with that in EGTCS, accompanied by PPR may be characteristic EEG features of BAFME.
Significance:
These findings may lead the diagnosis of BAFME.
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