Nocturnal sleep and daytime somnolence in untreated patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: changes after treatment with controlled-release carbamazepine.
OBJECTIVE
To define sleep disturbances in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and explore the association between carbamazepine (CBZ) therapy, sleep, and daytime somnolence.


METHODS
We recorded nocturnal polysomnography and measured subjective and objective daytime somnolence in a group of newly diagnosed TLE patients, who had no evidence of anatomic brain lesion on neuroimaging and had never been treated before. Recordings were performed at baseline, after the initial administration of 400 mg CBZ-controlled release (CR) and after 1 month of treatment (400 mg twice daily b.i.d.). The findings were compared with those of a group of young healthy volunteers, both at baseline and after the first administration of CBZ. The chronic effect of CBZ-CR treatment was evaluated only in TLE patients.


RESULTS
At baseline, nocturnal sleep patterns of TLE patients did not show marked alterations when the influence of seizures, cerebral lesions, and drugs had been ruled out. In both the TLE and the control groups, initiation of CBZ therapy provoked a reduction and a fragmentation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and an increase in the number of sleep stage shifts. In the TLE group, these effects were almost completely reversed after 1 month of treatment, and no significant difference was noted between baseline condition and long-term follow-up. With regard to daytime sleepiness, initial administration of the drug caused an increase in objective sleepiness only in the control group. Subjective sleepiness was higher in the control group than in the TLE group but was not modified by the drug.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that CBZ-CR has negative effects on REM sleep during initial administration but chronic treatment does not significantly modify nocturnal sleep or daytime somnolence.
Gigli
G L
GL
Divisione Neurologica, Ospedale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy.
Placidi
F
F
Diomedi
M
M
Maschio
M
M
Silvestri
G
G
Scalise
A
A
Marciani
M G
MG
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000187:drug effects
D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D002220:Carbamazepine