Search results for "Myoclonic"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
The first case of myoclonic epilepsy in a child with a de novo 22q11.2 microduplication
2011
Chromosome 22, particularly the q11.2 sub-band, has long been recognized as responsible for multiple congenital anomaly disorders. In particular, its susceptibility to subtle microdeletions or, more rarely, microduplications has been attributed to the presence of several low-copy repeats spanning the region as mediators of nonallelic homologous recombination that result in 22q11.2 rearrangements. While recent data suggest that the frequency of 22q11.2 microduplications could be approximately half of all deletions, now only 50 unrelated cases have been reported thus far. However, it is reasonable to suppose that microduplications of 22q11.2 may be largely undetected as a result of a less-dis…
Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy: neuropsychological and behavioural outcome
2003
Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (BMEI) is a rare syndrome of idiopathic generalized epilepsies with onset below 3 years of age. It has been reported that BMEI is associated with a good prognosis, however, recently some studies suggest less favourable neuropsychological outcome. We report a long-term follow-up of seven patients with BMEI. Seizure outcome and neuropsychological, cognitive, and behavioural evolution were discussed for each of them. At the end of follow-up, 86% of children showed neuropsychological and intellectual disorders: two children had mental retardation, three patients achieved a borderline IQ and one normal but low IQ. All but one displayed neuropsychological disa…
Proteomic signature of the Dravet syndrome in the genetic Scn1a-A1783V mouse model.
2021
Abstract Background Dravet syndrome is a rare, severe pediatric epileptic encephalopathy associated with intellectual and motor disabilities. Proteomic profiling in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome can provide information about the molecular consequences of the genetic deficiency and about pathophysiological mechanisms developing during the disease course. Methods A knock-in mouse model of Dravet syndrome with Scn1a haploinsufficiency was used for whole proteome, seizure, and behavioral analysis. Hippocampal tissue was dissected from two- (prior to epilepsy manifestation) and four- (following epilepsy manifestation) week-old male mice and analyzed using LC-MS/MS with label-free quantificati…
West syndrome followed by juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a coincidental occurrence?
2013
Background: West syndrome is an age-dependent epilepsy with onset peak in the first year of life whose aetiology may be symptomatic or cryptogenic. Long-term cognitive and neurological prognosis is usually poor and seizure outcome is also variable. Over the past two decades a few patients with favourable cognitive outcome and with total recovery from seizures were identified among the cryptogenic group suggesting an idiopathic aetiology. Recent research has described two children with idiopathic WS who later developed a childhood absence epilepsy. Case presentation: We reviewed the medical records of patients with West syndrome admitted to the our Child Neuropsychiatry Unit in the last 15 y…
Benign and severe early-life seizures: a round in the first year of life
2018
Abstract Background At the onset, differentiation between abnormal non-epileptic movements, and epileptic seizures presenting in early life is difficult as is clinical diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of the various seizure disorders presenting at this age. Seizures starting in the first year of life including the neonatal period might have a favorable course, such as in infants presenting with benign familial neonatal epilepsy, febrile seizures simplex or acute symptomatic seizures. However, in some cases, the onset of seizures at birth or in the first months of life have a dramatic evolution with severe cerebral impairment. Seizure disorders starting in early life include the “epilepti…
Efficacy of levetiracetam in the treatment of drug-resistant Rett Syndrome.
2010
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by a wide spectrum of phenotypes. Epilepsy is reported to occur in 50–90% of patients with RTT; some develop medically refractory epilepsy. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of levetiracetam (LEV) in drug-resistant patients with RTT. This prospective, pragmatic, open-label study consisted of an 8-week baseline period and a 6-month evaluation period. Efficacy variable was the mean frequency of monthly seizures before, and after 3 and 6 months of treatment with LEV. Eight female patients, aged 7.5–19 years (M12.8 ± 5) entered the study. Mean age at epilepsy onset was 25.8 ± 14.1 months. All patients sh…
Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy followed by childhood absence epilepsy
2011
Abstract Benign myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (BMEI) is a rare syndrome included among idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE) and syndromes with age-related onset. Recently, it has been shown that a few patients with BMEI later had other epilepsy types mainly IGE but never childhood absence epilepsy (CAE). We report a patient who at 11 months of age showed isolated myoclonic jerks occurring several times a day. The ictal video-EEG and polygraphic recording revealed generalized discharge of spike-wave (SW) lasting 1–2s associated with isolated bilateral synchronous jerk involving mainly the upper limbs controlled by valproic acid (VPA). At 6 years and 8 months the child developed a new elec…
Functional and dysfunctional conformers of human neuroserpin characterized by optical spectroscopies and Molecular Dynamics
2015
Neuroserpin (NS) is a serine protease inhibitor (SERPIN) involved in different neurological pathologies, including the Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Bodies (FENIB), related to the aberrant polymerization of NS mutants. Here we present an in vitro and in silico characterization of native neuroserpin and its dysfunctional conformation isoforms: the proteolytically cleaved conformer, the inactive latent conformer, and the polymeric species. Based on circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, we present an experimental validation of the latent model and highlight the main structural features of the different conformers. In particular, emission spectra of aromatic res…
West syndrome followed by juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a coincidental occurrence?
2012
West syndrome followed by juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a coincidental occurrence? is an age-dependent epilepsy with onset peak in the first year of life. According to the ILAE classification, the etiology of WS could be symptomatic or cryptogenic. An idiopathic etiology was considered too. In literature, there was never previously described a transition from WS to JME. Methods: The proband, (male) was referred to our Department at the age of 8 months because he showed clusters of symmetric spasms. Interictal EEG recording displayed an hypsarrhythmic pattern. The clinical and EEG data suggested WS diagnosis. At 1 year of age increasing long and thick hair in both elbow regions was observed. …
Nonketotic hyperglycinemia and epilepsy
2015
Nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) is an autosomal recessive inborn error in the glycine degradation pathway resulting in severe neurological impairment with intractable seizures and brain damage in the majority of the affected patients. Depending on the age of onset and on the outcome of the disease, severe and attenuated forms of NKH may be discriminated. During neonatal period, patients may present with early myoclonic encephalopathy; in the course of the disease, the picture of seizures changes, and multiple forms of seizures may occur. In patients with severe NKH, seizures remain persistent and resistant to anticonvulsant treatment. Variant NKH, caused by mutations resulting in a deficie…