The accuracy of self-reported history of seizures in Danish, Norwegian and U.S. twins.

Questionnaire surveys provide an efficient means of identifying potential seizure cases in large population-based cohorts. Concerns exist, however, with regard to the reliability of self-reported information both with respect to the validity of the results obtained and with regard to the usefulness of this approach in identifying true cases. Information on history of seizures obtained by questionnaire from members of 47,626 twin pairs included in the Mid-Atlantic (MATR), Danish (DTR) and Norwegian (NTR) Twin Registries was verified using medical records and detailed clinical and family interviews.

The occurrence and characteristics of auras in a large epilepsy cohort.

Objectives: Despite several studies, estimates of the frequency with which auras occur in conjunction with epilepsy continue to be imprecise. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence and characteristics of auras in a large population-based epilepsy cohort.

Materials And Methods: Subjects with verified epilepsy were recruited from population-based twin registries in the USA, Denmark and Norway.

Genetic screening of Scandinavian families with febrile seizures and epilepsy or GEFS+.

Background: Mutations in the three genes SCN1A, SCN1B and GABRG2, all encoding subunits of ion channels, have been known to cause generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) in families of different origin.

Objective: To study the occurrence of mutations in these genes in families with GEFS+ or a GEFS+ resembling phenotype of Scandinavian origin.

Material And Methods: We performed linkage analysis in 19 Scandinavian families with a history of febrile seizures (FS) and epilepsy or GEFS+.

Analyzing the etiology of benign rolandic epilepsy: a multicenter twin collaboration.

Purpose: Benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE) is considered a genetically determined idiopathic partial epilepsy. We analyzed a large sample of twins from four international twin registers to probe the genetics of BRE. We also aim to synthesize the apparently conflicting family and twin data into a model of BRE etiology.

[Seizure-precipitating factors in epilepsy--what do patients report?].

Background: To investigate the occurrence of seizure-precipitating factors in a large epilepsy population and to determine which precipitants patients most often report.

Material And Method: Study participants included Norwegian twins and their family members identified in a multinational twin study. 794 patients with epilepsy were asked about seizure precipitants.