THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS MEDICATIONS ON PATIENTS MANIFESTING AN EPILEPTIFORM SYNDROME
LORNE D. PROCTOR M. D.1
1 The department of psychiatry, University of Toronto and the department of medicine, Toronto Western Hospital.
One hundred and thirty cases presenting a syndrome including cranialgia, emotional instability, vasomotor instability, impaired consciousness, loss of consciousness, personality disorders and epilepsy, have been found to have a common EEG component, namely half and double alpha variants. Ninety-five percent of the cases had impaired states of consciousness and a significant proportion grand mal epileptic features. The series has shown a selective response to trials on several medications, improvement occurring in 90% of patients placed on dilantin sodium. Phenobarbital or sodium amytal were of little benefit. It is suggested this syndrome is more inclusive than those conditions variously described as psychomotor attacks, psychic variants or equivalents, or psychical seizures, and warrants the term epileptiform syndrome. The syndrome enlarges our conception of the limits of epilepsy.
