Ictal fear: semiologic characteristics and differential diagnosis with interictal anxiety disorders

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Ictal fear (IF) is one of the most frequent emotional auras. It is the sole or predominant manifestation of simple partial seizures or initial expression of a complex partial seizure. It is more often experienced in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), probably associated with mesial temporal structures, like the amygdala. Anxiety disorders are very common psychiatric disorders associated with epilepsy, with a prevalence of 15 to 25%. OBJECTIVES: To describe three patients with IF with refractory mesial TLE, also presenting the results of EEG, imaging exams, neuropsychological, quality of life and psychiatric evaluations. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three case reports of patients with refractory mesial TLE and IF followed up in the outpatient's clinic at the Epilepsy Section, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil, were submitted to presurgical evaluation and corticoamygdalohippocampectomy. Two patients presented ictal scalp-sphenoidal EEG onset on left side. Two patients had major depressive disorder in psychiatric evaluation. CONCLUSION: Although IF is the most frequent ictal psychological symptom, anxiety and mood disorders are very common psychiatric comorbidity in patients with epilepsy. It was concluded that differential diagnosis of interictal anxiety disorders, panic attacks and IF can be difficult, and requires careful management.