Determination of language dominance with near-infrared spectroscopy: comparison with the intracarotid amobarbital procedure.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in identifying the hemisphere associated with language by measuring changes in bilateral lateral inferior frontal blood flow during a word generation task in epilepsy surgery patients and healthy volunteers.

Methods: Sixteen patients who underwent the intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP) and eight healthy right-handed/right-footed individuals were tested with NIRS during a word generation paradigm.

Results: Increases in lateral inferior frontal total hemoglobin concentrations agreed with the IAP in 11 of 16 patients, including 2 of 3 with right hemisphere (atypical) speech dominance (P = 0.

An Xp; Yq translocation causing a novel contiguous gene syndrome in brothers with generalized epilepsy, ichthyosis, and attention deficits.

Purpose: We describe two brothers with generalized epilepsy, attention deficits, congenital ichthyosis, and Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis who harbor an unusual Xp; Yq translocation chromosome, resulting in a novel contiguous gene syndrome because of deletion of genes from the distal short arm of the X chromosome.

Methods: Physical examination, neuropsychologic testing, EEG, and neuroimaging studies were performed. Because of their unusual phenotype, karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and further molecular analyses were carried out to refine the break points of the underlying unbalanced sex chromosome rearrangement.

The experience of earthquakes by patients with epileptic and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Purpose: We sought to understand better the experience of seizures by studying differences in the subjective experience of being in an earthquake between patients with epileptic (EP) and nonepileptic (NES) seizures.

Methods: Forty-eight patients with CCTV/EEG-documented EP or NES who were in the Seattle metropolitan area during the February 28, 2001 Nisqually earthquake were randomly selected for telephone interviews on their earthquake experiences, including whether they thought they were having a seizure during the event.

Results: Twenty-three percent of EP patients spontaneously volunteered that they initially thought they were having a seizure during the earthquake as compared with none of the NES individuals (p = 0.