Ictal affective symptoms in temporal lobe epilepsy are related to gender and age.
OBJECTIVE
We systematically analyzed the video-recorded and patient-reported, as well as positive and negative ictal affective symptoms (IAS) in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Our aim was to assess (1) frequency, (2) gender effect, (3) lateralizing significance, (4) localizing value, and (5) prognostic significance in epilepsy surgery of IAS in patients with video-registered seizures.


METHODS
We reviewed ictal video recordings of 184 patients (99 women, aged 16-63). All patients had surgery for intractable TLE with video-recorded complex partial seizures (CPS) due to temporal lobe lesions visualized by high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Affective auras (AAs) were categorized into two groups: positive or negative.


RESULTS
We registered AAs in 18% of patients: positive in 3%, negative in 15%. We saw ictal affective behavior (IAB) in 22% of patients; 10% had positive, whereas 14% had negative IAB. Two patients had both positive and negative IAB. AAs showed an association with IAB in case of fear expression versus fear auras (p = 0.018). IAB, especially negative IAB, occurred more often in women than in men. Patients with negative IAB were younger than others. We could not demonstrate an association between IAS and the localization, lateralization, or hemispheric dominance. Surgical outcome did not associate with IAS.


CONCLUSIONS
Patient-reported and video-recorded negative-but not positive-affective signs are related to each other. Video-recorded negative AAs occur more often in women and young patients.
Toth
Vanda
V
Department of Neurology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
Fogarasi
Andras
A
Karadi
Kazmer
K
Kovacs
Norbert
N
Ebner
Alois
A
Janszky
Jozsef
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014741:Video Recording / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult