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MYOCLONUS EPILEPSY: CLINICAL AND ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHICAL STUDY ON HEREDITARY AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS *
Author(s) -
Wada Toyoji,
Yoshida Tomomichi,
Sakurada Sho,
Sato Keiichi
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.1960.tb02247.x
Subject(s) - myoclonus , epilepsy , convulsion , electroencephalography , myoclonic jerk , medicine , psychology , spike and wave , pediatrics , psychiatry
Summary Ninety‐eight subjects in one family, in which 2 sibling cases of typical myoclonus epilepsy were found as the originator, were clinically surveyed, and 24 cases among them were electroencephalographically investigated.1 In family tree there were found 3 eonsanguinous marriage couples, and among them, 2 couples were in relation of cousin‐marriage, though the originator was children from one of the latter. 2 In the family, there were found 4 cases of myoclonus epilepsy and one suspicious case, and 3 cases of potator in the ancester line. 3 Due to clinical examination, there were established 5 cases of infantile isolated convulsion and 14 cases of epileptic seizures of various kinds, though 9 cases of the latter seemed, at least, to be clinically confirmed as definite epilepsy. 4 In EEG‐examination, ca. 80% showed abnormal and borderline‐abnormal; 6 cases gave focal signs of brain damage, 10 cases definit epileptic discharges; 5 cases low threshold for convulsion and 4 cases multiple spikes discharge. 5 It has been confirmed both clinically and electroencephalographically that myoclonus epilepsy should be a recessive hereditary disease. Also, myoclonus epilepsy involves in its entity some factors having close connections with epilepsy or epileptic disorders, because there occurs in the course of transmission of hereditary disposition various kinds of epilepsy. Thus, the dispxition of myoclonus epilepsy might be multi‐demensional, and, if this consideration were correct, the reason of variety in EEGs in the family chart would be explained. 6 This report suggests certainly such a possibility that hereditary pathophysiological factors is confirmable by EEG‐examination as the result of dynamic investigation, as far as the family tree were pursued, even if there exists a complicated relation.