Running down phenomenon and acute interictal psychosis in medial temporal lobe epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between presurgical acute interictal psychosis and postsurgical running down phenomenon in a strictly homogeneous group with medial temporal lobe epilepsy.


METHODS
Forty patients with mesial temporal sclerosis and an ultimate excellent surgical outcome, were divided into running down positive and negative groups. Various clinical and laboratory data, including presurgical psychotic episodes, were analyzed in the two groups.


RESULTS
Patients in the running down positive group exhibited a significantly high incidence of presurgical history of acute interictal psychosis.


CONCLUSIONS
We hypothesize that areas of secondary epileptogenesis beyond the scope of the primary epileptogenic zone, suggested by postsurgical running down phenomenon, may play an important role in the blockage and shift of the habitual propagation of seizure activity from the primary epileptogenic zone, to which Wolf attributed acute interictal psychosis.
Kanemoto
K
K
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Utano National Hospital, Kyoto, Japan. peh06237@nifty.ne.jp
Miyamoto
T
T
Kawasaki
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007555:Isoxazoles / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D010672:Phenytoin / Q000009:adverse effects; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012598:Sclerosis; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D000078305:Zonisamide
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D007555:Isoxazoles; D000078305:Zonisamide; D010672:Phenytoin