Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy: demonstration of focal frontal onset and intrafamilial variation

Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) is a newly recognized autosomal dominant partial epilepsy. We studied seizure localization and intrafamilial variation using video-EEG monitoring (VEM) and functional neuroimaging in two pairs of subjects from unrelated families. The clinical features of seizures were similar from seizure to seizure in each individual, but varied between individuals. As is often found in frontal lobe epilepsies, ictal EEG localization was imprecise in three of four cases. One patient showed a consistent left fronto-polar onset that was corroborated by congruent focal hypometabolism on interictal PET and focal hyperperfusion on ictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). A second case studied with ictal SPECT showed a right parasagittal, midfrontal focus. We conclude that this autosomal dominant epilepsy syndrome, which in one of the two families was due to a known neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mutation, causes frontal lobe foci that are unilateral and in variable locations in different individuals.