Clinical and electrophysiological study of sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy during rapid eye movement sleep / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the electro-clinical characteristics of sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE) in rapid eye movement (REM) stage.Methods:Five patients of SHE in REM stage were studied and followed up in the Electroencephalogram Monitoring Center, Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital, the Air Force Military Medical University, from January 2016 to August 2021.Results:Among the 5 patients, there are 3 male patients, aged 21 to 46 years. A total of 23 seizures were monitored in 5 patients, of which 22 occurred in REM sleep and 1 occurred in non-REM Ⅲ sleep. Each attack lasted from 30 seconds to 1 minute, and was manifested as "hyperkinetic attack" during sleep, with or without disturbance of consciousness. There were no obvious abnormalities in electroencephalography during 13 attacks, with the focal sharp slow waves or slow waves during 9 attacks, and the focal slow waves occurrence at the end of the 10 attacks.Conclusion:Most of the hypermotor epileptic seizures in REM stage started from awakening reaction, and the interictal discharges occured in waking and non-REM sleep stage, which is necessary to distinguish from the REM sleep behavior disorder.