Author/Editor		Cantello, R; Civardi, C; Cavalli, A; Varrasi, C; Gianelli, M; Tarletti, R
Title		Bilateral changes of motor cortical inhibitory activities in patients with cryptogenic partial epilepsy
Type		članek
Source		In: Stalberg EV, de Weerd AW, Zidar J, editors. ECCN 98. 9th European congress of clinical neurophysiology; 1998 Jun 4-7; Ljubljana. Bologna: Monduzzi editore,
Publication year		1998
Volume		str. 113-7
Language		eng
Abstract		Double-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (d-TMS) can measure the neural balance beween excitation and inhibition in the primary motor cortex. Such a cortical balance is crucial to focal epileptogenesis. We studied by d-TMS 18 patients, whose extensive clinical investigation pointed at a diagnosis of crytogenic partial epilepsy (CPE). All were treated with antiepileptic drugs. We had 11 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We studied either hemisphere separately. In 15% of the patients there was a bilateraldecreae in corticocortical inhibition and a bilateral increase in corticocortical facilitation. In the remainder, corticocortical inhibition was decreased ipsilateral to the focus, whilst it was increased contralaterally, where corticocortical facilitation was significantly less increased contralaterally, where corticocortical facilitation was significantly less pronounced as eell. Generalized electroencephalographic discharges of the spikeand-wave type or similar were far more common in the former than in the latter subgroup. Also, the seizure frequency appeared to be higher in the former group, though the small number of patients did not allow any inference as to a possible relationship between the d-TMS findings and the clinical course. We however think that, apart from studying the pathophysiology, d-TMS may offer clinically relevant information in the patients with CPE.
Descriptors		EPILEPSY, PARTIAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY MOTOR CORTEX MAGNETICS