Epilepsy & behavior : E&B
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Nov 2005
Biography Historical ArticleThe idiosyncratic aspects of the epilepsy of Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The goal of this article is to review the idiosyncratic aspects of the epilepsy of Fyodor Dostoevsky, one of the greatest writers of all time. The onset of his seizures is controversial, with some evidence pointing to his childhood and other reports that would place the onset in his teens or his twenties. His life in prison in Siberia and then in the Russian army is reviewed. ⋯ A review of recent data on the risks to offspring of epileptic fathers confirms that the etiology of Dostoevsky's epilepsy was probably inherited and that he probably had an idiopathic generalized epilepsy with minor involvement of the temporal lobe. A relationship is seen between his severe obsession with gambling and his epilepsy. Finally, Fyodor Dostoevsky is an excellent example of the "temporal lobe personality."
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Nov 2005
Epilepsy surgery in professional musicians: subjective and objective reports of three cases.
We describe a small series of three professional musicians who had right (two patients) and left (one patient) temporal lobe epilepsy surgery with the histological diagnoses of hippocampal sclerosis (two patients) and benign tumor (one patient, xanthoastrocytoma). The musicians were asked to complete a questionnaire about their musical abilities before and after surgery with respect to special musical skills like melody processing, musical memory, rhythm, meter, harmony/dissonance, timbre, concentration and endurance, emotionality, and absolute pitch. In addition, the musicians submitted reports of their experiences. ⋯ The two patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy reported improvements of specific musical abilities. Vocational development was very positive in all three patients. We conclude that epilepsy surgery can be safe and rewarding in professional musicians and propose initiating a database on epilepsy surgery in this special group of patients.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Sep 2005
Case ReportsSuppression of obsessive-compulsive symptoms after epilepsy surgery.
We report two male patients with medically intractable epilepsy and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. Both patients experienced remission of obsessive-compulsive symptoms after surgical treatment of epilepsy. ⋯ On the basis of these observations, we discuss the pathophysiology of OCD symptoms, emphasizing the role of corticosubcortical pathways in their genesis. Our data suggest that surgeries that affect neural loops associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms can lead to an improvement of OCD; however, the structures responsible for this effect cannot be conclusively determined.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Aug 2005
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialPatient and physician reactions to generic antiepileptic substitution in the treatment of epilepsy.
The clinical and economic consequences of generic antiepileptic drug (AED) substitution are not yet fully understood. This article provides a broad perspective of generic AED substitution in five countries. ⋯ There is an opposition to generic substitution by both patients and physicians, especially with concern over increased breakthrough seizure risk. Further evidence is required to understand how costs and effects of generic AED substitution affect patient welfare.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Mar 2005
Review Historical ArticleDid all those famous people really have epilepsy?
Many famous individuals are said to have had epilepsy, and these names often find their way into books and lectures on epilepsy. The goal of this study was to investigate in detail the histories of 43 of those people who had various kinds of attacks, but not epilepsy. They range chronologically from Pythagorus, born in 582 bc, to the actor Richard Burton, born in 1925 AD. ⋯ In some instances no evidence of any episodic symptom could be found. One unexpected finding was that 40% of these well-known, individuals had serious, often life-threatening, physical conditions as infants or very young children. This article is an attempt to correct the record with respect to these people and also to remind us of the many reasons similar misdiagnoses are being made today.