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a b s t r a c tObjective: Localizing epileptic foci in posterior brain epilepsy remains a difficult exercise in surgery for epilepsy evaluation. Neither clinical manifestations, neurological, EEG nor neuropsychological evaluations provide strong information about the area of onset, and fast spread of paroxysms often produces mixed features of occipital, temporal and parietal symptoms. We investigated the usefulness of the N170 event-related potential to map epileptic activity in these patients. Methods: A group of seven patients with symptomatic posterior cortex epilepsy were submitted to a high-resolution EEG (78 electrodes), with recordings of interictal spikes and face-evoked N170. Generators of spikes and N170 were localized by source analysis. Range of normal N170 asymmetry was determined in 30 healthy volunteers. Results: In 3 out of 7 patients the N170 inter-hemispheric asymmetry was outside control values. Those were the patients whose spike sources were nearest (within 3 cm) to the fusiform gyrus, while foci further away did not affect the N170 ratio. Conclusions: N170 event-related potential provides useful information about focal cortical dysfunction produced by epileptic foci located in the close neighborhood of the fusiform gyrus, but are unaffected by foci further away. Significance: The N170 evoked by faces can improve the epileptic foci localization in posterior brain epilepsy.

A 10-month-old girl was admitted with refractory infantile spasms. Video EEG demonstrated focal epileptic activity, and MRI revealed a conglomeration of annular lesions. Surgical excision was performed and pathology was consistent with tuberculoma. After antituberculous therapy, the outcome was favorable. Despite all investigations, Mycobacterium tuberculosis's mode of transmission was unclear, and both congenital and postnatal acquired forms were considered.

ObjectiveTo assess seizure control and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) as adjunctive therapy to one baseline antiepileptic drug (AED), in adults with partial‐onset seizures (POS) with or without secondary generalization.MethodsMulticenter, non‐interventional, prospective cohort study conducted between March 2012 and September 2014 at 12 neurology departments in Portugal. Adults with POS not controlled with one AED who had initiated ESL as adjunctive treatment were enrolled. Retention rate was defined at the final visit (Vfinal) 6‐9 months of follow‐up. Proportion of responders, seizure‐free, changes in seizure frequency were evaluated using patients' diaries. Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI‐C) and Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI‐S) were assessed by the neurologist.ResultsFifty‐two patients (48.1% male) were included with mean age 41.5±13.3 years. Mean epilepsy duration was 18.5±14.8 years; mean seizure frequency in the four previous weeks to baseline was 7.5±12.7. At Vfinal, retention rate was 73.0%; responder rate and seizure‐free rates were 71.1% and 39.5%, respectively. The median relative reduction in seizure frequency between baseline and Vfinal was 82.2%. A reduction in epilepsy severity (CGI‐S) was observed in 42.1%. According to CGI‐C, 73.6% patients had their epilepsy “much improved” or “very much improved”. Twelve patients (23.1%) had at least one adverse event (AE), two (3.9%) had one serious AE, and five (9.6%) discontinued due to AE.ConclusionsEslicarbazepine acetate showed good retention rates, elicited a significant reduction in seizure frequency, and was well tolerated when used in the clinical practice.