Basic Mechanisms Underlying Seizure-prone & Seizure Resistant Sleep and Awakening States in Feline Kindled and Penicillin Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder which is manifested at some times and masked at others. Sleep-waking state physiology is one of the most well documented factors affecting the clinical expression or suppression of human epilepsy . Specifically, non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep and the gradual process of awakening from NREM sleep are the most vulnerable periods for seizures, especially convulsions. Moreover, the type of epilepsy is an important consideration in the timing of convulsions. Temporal lobe epilepsy with secondary generalized convulsions is the most common pure sleep epilepsy, with convulsions occurring in NREM or the transition from NREM to rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep in nearly 60% of the patients . In contrast, over 90% of patients with primary generalized, "petit mal" epilepsy display convulsions exclusively after awakening. Finally, type of epilepsy is not a factor in the suppression of seizures during REM sleep. REM sleep is the most anti-epileptic state in the sleepwake cycle for all generalized electrographic (EEG) and clinical seizures .