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Inhibitory effect of central vision on occipital lobe seizures

Department of Experimental Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Neurology, Eginition Hospital, Athens, Greece.

We studied four young patients with occipital lobe seizures (elementary visual hallucinations, blindness, and tonic deviation of the eyes) and electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities of occipital spike and slow-wave activity, which occurred continuously as long as the eyes were closed. The EEG abnormalities were inhibited by opened eyes in an illuminated room and returned immediately in darkness. Opening and closing the eyes in darkness did not alter the continuously occuring spike and slow-wave activity. The retention of central vision in darkness, caused by looking at a red spot of light, inhibited these abnormalities. Therefore, some occipital lobe seizures may not be "spontaneous" but may be elicited by "loss" of central vision, particularly when they occur in darkness or sleep.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Panayiotopoulos, 18 Kolonaki Square, Kolonaki, Athens, Greece.

Accepted for publication February 5, 1981.

A preliminary platform presentation of this report has been previously made at the eleventh Epilepsy International Symposium, September 30 to October 3, 1979, Florence, Italy.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. P. Panayiotopoulos and J. Aicardi Benign Nocturnal Childhood Occipital Epilepsy: A New Syndrome with Nocturnal Seizures, Tonic Deviation of the Eyes, and Vomiting J Child Neurol, January 1, 1989; 4(1): 43 - 49. [Abstract] [PDF]