Behavioural epileptic seizures: a clinical and intracranial EEG study in 8 children with frontal lobe epilepsy.

We report on eight children who underwent prolonged invasive video-EEG recording (IC-EEG) for intractable frontal lobe epilepsy and whose seizures consisted of behaviour changes. Seizures were recorded on a BMSI computer with 128 channels connected to the Gotman software of a stellate system; their identification was made both clinically and by automatic detection of paroxysmal electrical events. Behavioural epileptic seizures (BES) consisted of various clinical signs comprising mood change, sudden agitation, unexpected quietness, and subtle change of awareness or awakening. In 2 patients, seizures consisted in repetitive movements that we referred to as epileptic stereotypes. BES came from the prefrontal areas of the brain. Most of them were overlooked or misdiagnosed as behavioural manifestations, especially in children with mental deficiency and autistic features. Given the improvement of behaviour and mental functions following surgery, we assume that BES may contribute to generate mental and behavioural dysfunction.