Significance of lateralization of upper limb automatisms in temporal lobe epilepsy: a quantitative movement analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate the significance of lateralization of ictal upper limb automatisms in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).

Methods: Ictal upper limb automatisms of 28 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy were quantified. Duration of automatisms in relation to total seizure duration, movement speed, extent, length, and predominant frequencies of the movements were analyzed for both upper extremities separately and compared to the lateralization of the epileptogenic temporal lobe.