title: A note on gelastic epilepsy.
abstract: Laughter epilepsy or gelastic seizures have been described in various epilepsies arising from the temporal or frontal lobes, but most commonly from hypothalamic hamartomata. Gelastic seizures also arise from temporal and frontal lobe tumours and atrophic lesions. The essential clinical features are: stereotyped recurrence; absence of external precipitants; concomitance of other manifestations generally accepted as epileptic; presence of interictal or interictal EEG epileptiform discharges, and absence of conditions in which pathological laughter might occur. The history and clinical significance are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Emeritus Consultant Neurologist, Department of Neurology, Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull, UK. jmspearce@freenet.co.uk
authors.forename: J M S
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pearce
mesh_terms: D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006222:Hamartoma / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007029:Hypothalamic Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology