Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in Latin America: A survey describing current practices.

Objective: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are one of the most common differential diagnoses of epilepsy. This study provides an overview of diagnostic and treatment services for patients with PNES across Latin America.

Methods: In 2017-2018, clinicians practicing in Latin America with responsibilities for patients with PNES were contacted to respond to a survey regarding the management of this disorder developed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) PNES Task Force.

Forced normalization: A systematic review.

Objective: Forced normalization (FN) is an intriguing phenomenon characterized by the emergence of psychiatric disturbances following the establishment of seizure control or reduction in the epileptic activity in a patient with previous uncontrolled epilepsy. We aim to describe the clinical characteristics of the condition.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Scielo from January 1953 to January 2018.

Epilepsy, Physical Activity and Sports: A Narrative Review.

People with epilepsy (PWE) are less physically active compared with the general population. Explanations include prejudice, overprotection, unawareness, stigma, fear of seizure induction and lack of knowledge of health professionals. At present, there is no consensus on the role of exercise in epilepsy.

Periictal sign of the cross or Signum Crucis as a lateralizing sign in focal epilepsies: Not only a right temporal lobe epilepsy feature.

Introduction: The sign of the cross (SC) is a catholic ritual that has been described as an automatism during the ictal phase in patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy.

Objective: The study aimed to describe the prevalence of the SC and analyze the characteristics of patients who presented this phenomenon during the video-electroencephalography (VEEG) admission in our Epilepsy department.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 1308 recorded seizures; 14 patients presented the SC during the admission.

Unilateral predominance of abnormal movements: A characteristic feature of the pediatric anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis?

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is a treatable autoimmune disease characterized by cognitive, motor and psychiatric features that primarily affects young adults and children. We present a case of a 7-year-old boy with asymmetrical (mainly right hemibody) and abnormal polymorphic movements without concomitant scalpictal EEG changes but had background slowing predominating over the left hemisphere. This report illustrates previous descriptions of asymmetric presentation of abnormal movements in pediatric anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and emphasizes the importance of video-EEG interpreted within the overall clinical context, to differentiate epileptic from non-epileptic abnormal movements in patients with autoimmune encephalitis.

Temporal plus epilepsy: Anatomo-electroclinical subtypes.

Background: Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a remediable epileptic syndrome. About 40% of patients continue to have seizures after standard temporal lobectomy. It has been suggested that some of these patients could actually suffer from a more complex epileptogenic network.

Efficacy and tolerability of add-on Lacosamide treatment in adults with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome: An observational study.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of lacosamide in adults with LGS in the clinical setting.

Method: The present report is a retrospective, open-label treatment study carried out from June 2013 to December 2014 at the National Institute of Colombia. Lacosamide was introduced as add-on therapy.

Mortality in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy at a tertiary center in Cuba.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk of mortality in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy.

Methods: Eligible patients included all adults referred to the National Institute of Neurology (NIN) in Havana, Cuba. All patients were followed up for 9 years.

Efficacy and tolerability of lamotrigine in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy in adults: a prospective, unblinded randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Controlled randomized studies recommending the clinical use of lamotrigine in adult populations with the diagnosis of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy are still lacking. To compare the efficacy and tolerability of lamotrigine versus valproate in adult patients with JME.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, controlled, pragmatic, long-term and open-label treatment trial.

Lacosamide in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome: case report.

Introduction: Lennox Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is an epileptic encephalopathy characterized by tonic, atonic, and atypical absence seizures usually refractory to pharmacological treatment. Patients generally continue with seizures despite treatment with the commercially available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Lacosamide (LCM) is a new AED recently approved for treatment of partial onset seizures with or without secondary generalization.