Though psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are seen commonly during evaluation of children and adolescents with epilepsy, the literature regarding developmental changes in PNES is limited. Literature search was conducted PubMed. Key terms included: Pseudoseizure* OR [(non-epileptic or nonepileptic attack disorder) AND (seizure*)], resulting 3,236 articles. Filters included human, ages 1–1...

About 25% of patients seen in epilepsy clinics and monitoring units who do not respond to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have received a misdiagnosis.1-3 The eventual diagnosis for most of these patients will be psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNES)1,4-a somatoform conversion disorder. It is treatable, but diagnosis, delivery of the diagnosis, and management present significant challenges. A majo...

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and psychogenic movement disorders (PMD) are commonly seen in Neurology practice and are categorized in the DSM-5 as functional neurological disorders/conversion disorders. This review encompasses historical and epidemiological data, clinical aspects, diagnostic criteria, treatment and prognosis of these rather challenging and often neglected patients. A...

We report two adolescents with refractory seizure disorders in whom both epileptic and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) were recorded with intracerebral EEG. The ictal phenomenology of epileptic seizures (ES) and PNES, consisting of hypermotor attacks in the first patient and left-sided painful episodes in the second patient, proved remarkably similar in both cases, highlighting the dif...

Levetiracetam , a new antiepileptic drug with a novel mechanism of action, shows safe and proven efficacy in complex partial seizures, generalized tonic clonic seizures and myoclonic seizures. It is widely used as add-on therapy in patients with epileptic disorders. It has a favorable pharmacokinet ic profi le , lack of known pharmacologic interactions, good tolerability. Several neuropsycholog...

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) superficially resemble epileptic seizures, but are not associated with ictal electrical discharges in the brain. PNES constitute one of the most important differential diagnoses of epilepsy. However, despite the fact they have been recognized as a distinctive clinical phenomenon for centuries and that access to video/EEG monitoring has allowed clinicians...

Sodium valproate (SV) is effective and well tolerated for the treatment of epilepsy and mood disorders. There are several cases of SV-induced enuresis noted in epileptic patients. No alternative medication has been suggested to manage this problem. We present the first case of a pediatric bipolar patient who developed diurnal and nocturnal enuresis during SV therapy. Clinicians should be aware ...

Hyperekplexia is a rare, nonepileptic, genetic, or sporadic neurologic disorder characterized by startle responses to acoustic, optic, or tactile stimuli. Genetic defects in glycine receptors as well as encephalitis, tumors, inflammation, and disgenesis are among the etiologic causes of the disease. The main problem in hyperekplexia is the incomplete development of inhibitory mechanisms or exag...