Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-g7rbq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-25T15:28:52.264Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Migraine-like Symptoms Triggered by Occipital Lobe Seizures: Response to Sumatriptan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Abayomi Ogunyemi  and
Dermot Adams
Abayomi Ogunyemi*
Affiliation:
Division of Neurology, Memorial University, St. John's, Corner Brook, Newfoundland.
Dermot Adams
Affiliation:
Division of Neurology, Memorial University, St. John's, Corner Brook, Newfoundland.
*
Division of Neurology, Health Sciences Centre, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada AIB 3V6
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Background:

The relationship of ictal and post-ictal cephalic pain to migraine remains debatable. We hereby report 2 patients whose post-ictal migraine-like symptoms ameliorated in response to oral sumatriptan.

Methods:

Two patients, a 27-year-old woman and 41-year-old man were referred for assessment of migraine of 10 years and 4 years duration, respectively. The man described a recent episode of “vacant stare” and the woman has sensitivity to bright colours and light. Neurological examination, visual field testing, CAT scan, MRI scan, and prolonged EEG recordings were accomplished for each patient.

Results:

The man had a spontaneous seizure with ictal discharge arising from the right occipital lobe. Bilateral occipital spikes, associated with palinopsia was triggered in the woman by photic stimulation. Both patients developed post-ictal headaches with symptoms similar to their migraines. The symptoms subsided following treatment with oral sumatriptan.

Conclusion:

Migraine-like symptoms occurring following occipital lobe seizures may share similar pathophysiological substrates with idiopathic migraine. Serotonergic mechanisms may be implicated.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , February 1998 , pp. 151 - 153
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 1998

References

REFERENCES

1.Liveing, E. “On Megrim, Sick-Headache and Some Allied Disorders.” London, J. & Churchill, 1873.Google Scholar
2.Gowers, WR. “The Borderland of Epilepsy.” London, J. & A. Churchill, 1907.Google Scholar
3.Commission on Classification and Terminology of the International League Against Epilepsy. Proposal for revised classification of epilepsies and epileptic syndromes. Epilepsia 1985; 26: 268–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Gastaut, H. A new type of epilepsy: benign partial epilepsy of children with occipital spike-waves. Clin Electroencephalogr 1982; 13: 13–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Gastaut, H, Zifkin, BG. Benign epilepsy of childhood with occipital spike and wave complexes. In: Andermann, F, Lugaresi, E, eds. Migraine and Epilepsy. Boston: Butterworths, 1987; 37–81.Google Scholar
6.Panayiotopoulos, CP. Basilar migraine? Seizures and severe epileptiform EEG abnormalities. Neurology 1980; 30: 1122–1125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Panayiotopoulos, CP. Benign childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms: a 15-year prospective study. Ann Neurol 1989; 26: 51–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Maher, J, Ronen, GM, Ogunyemi, AO, Goulden, KJ. Occipital paroxysmal discharges suppressed by eye opening: variability in clinical and seizure manifestations in childhood. Epilepsia 1995; 36: 52–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Camfield, PR, Metrakos, K, Andermann, F. Basilar migraine, seizures and severe epileptiform EEG abnormalities: a relatively benign syndrome in adolescents. Neurology 1978; 28: 584–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Aicardi, J, Newton, R. Clinical findings in children with occipital spike wave complexes suppressed by eye opening. In: Andermann, F, Lugaresi, E, eds. Migraine and Epilepsy. Boston: Butterworths, 1987; 111–124.Google Scholar
11.Walker, MC, Smith, SJM, Sisodiya, SM, Shorvon, SD. Case of simple partial status epilepticus in occipital lobe epilepsy misdiagnosed as migraine: clinical, electrophysiological and magnetic resonance imaging characteristics. Epilepsia 1995; 36: 1233–1236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Laplante, P, Saint-Hilaire, JM, Bouvier, G. Headache as an epileptic manifestation. Neurology 1983; 33: 1493–1495.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Young, GB, Blume, WT. Painful epileptic seizures. Brain 1983; 106: 537–554.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Schon, F, Blau, JN. Post-epileptic headache and migraine. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1987; 50: 1148–1152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Guerrini, R, Dravet, C, Genton, Pet al. Idiopathic photosensitive occipital lobe epilepsy. Epilepsia 1995; 36: 883–891.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Andermann, E, Andermann, FA. Migraine-epilepsy relationships: Epideminological and genetic aspects. In: Andermann, FA, Lugaresi, E, eds. Migraine and Epilepsy. Boston: Butterworths, 1987; 281–291.Google ScholarPubMed
17.Ottman, R, Lipton, RB. Comorbidity of migraine and epilepsy. Neurology 1994;44:2105–2110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Hoyer, D, Clarke, DE, Forzard, JRet al. International Union of Pharmacology classification of receptors for 5-hydroxy tryptamine (serotonin). Pharmacol Rev 1994; 46: 157–203.Google Scholar
19.Humphrey, PPA, Feniuk, W. Mode of action of the anti-migraine drug sumatriptan. Trends Pharmacol Sci 1991; 12: 444–446.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Moskowitz, MA. Neurogenic versus vascular mechanisms of sumatriptan and ergot alkaloids in migraine. Trends Pharmacol Sci 1992; 13:307–311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed