Psychomotor Seizures, Penfield, Gibbs, Bailey and The
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View Point Psychomotor seizures, Penfi eld, Gibbs, Bailey and the development of anterior temporal lobectomy: A historical vignette Prasad Vannemreddy, James L. Stone, Siddharth Vannemreddy, Konstantin V. Slavin Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Abstract Psychomotor seizures, referred to as limbic or partial complex seizures, have had an interesting evolution in diagnosis and treatment. Hughlings Jackson was the first to clearly relate the clinical syndrome and likely etiology to lesions in the uncinate region of the medial temporal lobe. With the application of electroencephalography (EEG) to the study of human epilepsy as early as 1934 by Gibbs, Lennox, and Davis in Boston, electrical recordings have significantly advanced the study of epilepsy. In 1937, Gibbs and Lennox proposed the term “psychomotor epilepsy” to describe a characteristic EEG pattern of seizures accompanied by mental, emotional, motor, and autonomic phenomena. Concurrently, typical psychomotor auras and dreamy states were produced by electrical stimulation of medial temporal structures during epilepsy surgery by Penfield in Montreal. In 1937, Jasper joined Penfield, EEG was introduced and negative surgical explorations became less frequent. Nevertheless, Penfield preferred to operate only on space occupying lesions. A milestone in psychomotor seizure diagnosis was in the year 1946 when Gibbs, at the Illinois Neuropsychiatric Institute, Chicago, reported that the patient falling asleep during EEG was a major activator of the psychomotor discharges and electrographic ictal episodes becoming more prominently recorded. Working with Percival Bailey, Gibbs was proactive in applying EEG to define surgical excision of the focus in patients with intractable psychomotor seizures. By early 1950s, the Montreal group began to clearly delineate causative medial temporal lesions such as hippocampal sclerosis and tumors in the production of psychomotor seizures. Key Words Electroencephalography, epilepsy, ictus, temporal lobe, temporal lobectomy For correspondence: Dr. Prasad Vannemreddy, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. E-mail: [email protected] Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2010;13:103-7 [DOI: 10.4103/0972-2327.64630] Introduction discharges of psychomotor epilepsy (PME) were activated by a sleep EEG study. This resulted in an increased frequency of an The late 19th- and early 20th-century neurological and psychiatric electrographic diagnosis in these patients and led directly to the literature detailed cognitive and behavioral pathologies in idea of a surgical approach to intractable cases. In 1937, Penfi eld patients with epilepsy and diverse symptomatic presentations brought Herbert Jasper and EEG to Montreal. Although and etiologic theories. initially skeptical about this new technology, Penfi eld’s opinion changed when Jasper applied EEG to patients at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI). Jackson[1] proposed the concept of “dreamy states” and related these symptoms to the lesions in the mesial temporal lobe Gibbs et al, observed a higher rate of psychiatric disorders structures and coined the word “uncinate fi ts.” Thus, credit among patients with psychomotor seizures than patients goes to Jackson for linking these epileptiform manifestations with other seizure types and in 1937 proposed the term to the temporal lobe. “psychomotor epilepsy” to describe a characteristic EEG patt ern of temporal lobe seizures, accompanied by mental, Although in the late 1930s, Gibbs and associates were likely emotional, motor, and autonomic phenomena.[4] the fi rst to clearly describe the electroencephalographic (EEG) discharge patt erns found in psychomotor seizures, they were EEG, fi rst developed and reported by Hans Berger in 1929,[5] initially led to faulty frontal or parasagitt al localization of the was accepted by the international community only aft er Adrain focus by the infrequent use of an active temporal electrode and Matt hews, 1934, in England, confi rmed Berger’s original and routine usage of a ear lobe reference electrode.[2,3] By 1946, results.[6] Richard Caton, a British physician and physiologist, working at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Gibbs published his fi ndings on the electrical phenomena of the recognized that the oft en temporally localized epileptiform exposed cerebral hemispheres of rabbits and monkeys in Ann Indian Acad Neurol, April-June 2010, Vol 13, Issue 2 104 Vannemreddy, et al.: Psychomotor seizures and temporal lobectomy-historical 1875 and they were rediscovered by Adolf Beck (1891) in Wilder Penfi eld and Temporal Lobectomy Poland and later by Pavel Kaufman (1912) in St Petersburg. [7] Jasper, a doctorate in psychology, took interest in studying Foerster had observed that epileptic seizures can be initiated by neurophysiology and published the fi rst report in the United electric stimulation around the meningocerebral cicatrix in post States in 1935, on research application of EEG[8] and in the same injury epileptics, or gentle traction on the cicatrix itself. He and year the Boston group led by Davis, Lennox, and Gibbs had Penfi eld (a visiting fellow) proposed that the resultant traction noted its clinical value in epilepsy.[9] The surgical treatment on the encased blood vessels might set up a “vaso-motor refl ex of epilepsy att racted more att ention between 1945 and 1955. secondary to this traction,” which could be “responsible for the initiation of the convulsive seizures.” Penfi eld became familiar Jackson, Horsley, and the Beginning with Foerster’s use of local anesthesia and electrical stimulation to map motor and sensory areas of the human cortex exposed During the Linacre Lecture given in 1909 on “The Function at operation in order to protect them during the excision of of the So-called Motor Area of the Brain”[10] at Cambridge epileptogenic gliotic tissue.[17] University, Victor Horsley cited his report of 1886 on the fi rst three cases of focal Jacksonian epilepsy he had operated In November 1928, Penfi eld and his surgical partner, William upon during that time, primarily because he was urged and Cone, performed their first operation in North America, supported by Hughlings Jackson and David Ferrier. Jackson utilizing the Foerster method. The patient, a young man considered focal epilepsy as a manifestation of cortical irritation previously treated for a head injury, had as many as 20 seizures leading to a discharge of electrical energy. Thus, he suggested each day and improved aft er three operations.[18] treatment by removal of the irritating focus[11] and prevailed on Horsley to perform craniotomy for the same.[12] Frederic Gibbs and the Temporal Lobe A direct support for Jackson’s theory was provided when In 1936, Frederic Gibbs and William Lennox of the Boston school Horsley removed a highly vascular 3·2 cm scar along with of EEG, classifi ed psychomotor seizures as a separate entity a border of cortex. This showed the presence of a discrete from petit mal and grand mal for the fi rst time. They considered cortical vascular scar and the focal motor seizures stopped epilepsy to be a paroxysmal “disordered functioning of the postoperatively. Jackson stated, “there was in every case of rate-regulating mechanism of the brain.”[19] Accordingly, the epileptiform seizures a persisting discharging lesion.” He presence of a structural lesion was more oft en an exception than believed that the starting point of the fi t was a sign of the seat a rule, and the various types of seizures would be considered of the “discharging lesion,” and advocated excision even if the as variations of the patt ern of dysrhythmia.[2] region appeared normal. The Gibbs-Gibbs-Lennox team of the late 1930s generated Exhilarated by these beginnings of epilepsy surgery, Horsley a body of work of unprecedented achievement in clinical made frequent reports of his experiences in brain surgery over epileptology. Twelve children with petit mal epilepsy were the the next decade.[10,13,14] clinical subjects for the groundbreaking studies which began in late 1934 recognizing the association of petit mal absences Between 1893 and 1912, another pioneer brain surgeon, Fedor with 3/s spike-wave complexes.[9,19,20] Krause, operated on 96 patients for the treatment of epilepsy.[15] He stated that postt raumatic scars could produce “adhesions Following extensive animal work, they investigated the with the arachnoid, pia, and the surface of the brain” and relationship of EEG, cerebral blood fl ow, and blood constituents these changes “could aff ect the cortical blood vessels present including carbon dioxide, oxygen and glucose in humans. [21] In within bands of cicatricial tissue.” Additionally, Krause also 1938, Gibbs and Lennox described the fi rst ever case on record recognized that the primary spasmic center, the epileptogenic in which operation was advised and a portion of brain removed area, may be distant from the structural lesion and he based solely on the EEG findings of a focal epileptiform considered the operative strategy in such cases, addressing “the discharge.[22] From their experiences obtained by 1939, the question whether the morbid focus only should be excised, or sobering fact was evident that a sharply localized epileptic in conjunction with it the primary spasming fi eld as well.” He focus can be removed and the epilepsy still remains. Thus, added “in few instances I have adopted the latt er plan with Gibbs and Lennox assumed that in some cases, the cortical