Hippocampal atrophy and memory dysfunction in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a well-defined idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) syndrome, being the most common IGE in adults and accounting for 5-11% of patients with epilepsy. While neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have discussed the thalamofrontal dysfunction as the major pathophysiologic mechanism of JME, investigation on memory is scarce in patients with JME, with lack of objective assessments addressing common complaints and daily difficulties such as recalling telephone numbers, messages to pass on, and taking antiepileptic drugs regularly. The aim of this study was to objectively assess memory deficits in a group of patients with JME using neuropsychological examination combined with structural MRI of the hippocampi.

Gastaut type idiopathic childhood occipital epilepsy.

Gastaut type idiopathic childhood occipital epilepsy is an uncommon epileptic syndrome characterised by frequent seizures, most commonly presenting as elementary visual hallucinations or blindness. Other occipital (non-visual) symptoms may also occur. Interictal EEG typically shows occipital paroxysms, often with fixation-off sensitivity.