Seizures in hydranencephaly: Mechanisms of subcortical epilepsy

Abstract

Epileptic seizures are generally considered a cortically based phenomenon, with motor expression mediated through the corticospinal tracts, yet half of patients with hydranencephaly have seizures. The mechanisms mediating expression of seizures in hydranencephalic infants have not been well studied, but they are assumed to reflect subcortical networks or represent non-epileptic brainstem release phenomena. Children with hydranencephaly thus provide a useful model for studying the clinical features of subcortically mediated seizures. We studied two infants with hydranencephaly using video-electroencephalogram in order to determine if the seizures arose from remnants of cortical tissue or subcortical structures, and to analyze features of seizures of subcortical origin.

Keywords

Hydranencephaly - brain stem release phenomena - seizures - epilepsy - subcortical networks - audiogenic seizures