Inusual ictal paralysis due to inhibitory motor seizures mimicking a cerebral transient ischemic attack: two cases and a brief review of epileptic ictal paralysis Brief historical development of inibitory motor seizures

Negative phenomena can occur with seizures, but inhibitory motor seizures are rare and may lead to misdiagno� sis. Two adults with focal inhibitory motor seizure (ictal paralysis) have been evaluated, and taken together with the clinical history, the results from these investigations suggest focal inhibitory seizures as the underlying etiology. The mechanisms of negative motor phenomena during a seizure are not well understood, but ictal negative motor fenomena have been reported in a frontal, central, or parietal epileptogenic focus. Inhibitory motor seizures must be differentiated from transient ischemic attacks. A brief review of some of the possible underlying physiological mechanisms of these unusual features is of interest.