Familial cortical tremor, epilepsy, and mental retardation: a distinct clinical entity? |
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Authors: | M Elia SA Musumeci R Ferri C Scuderi S Del Gracco M Bottitta R Michelucci CA Tassinari |
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Affiliation: | Department of Neurology, Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging, Troina, Italy. melia@oasi.en.it |
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Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: To describe a European family with cortical tremor, epilepsy, and mental retardation, the pedigree of which indicates an autosomal dominant inheritance of the disease. DESIGN: Clinical, laboratory, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging data were studied. SETTING: Institute for research on mental retardation. PATIENTS: Two siblings (aged 25 and 28 years) and their 49-year-old mother had postural and action tremor, seizures, and mental retardation. Only tremor was present in the maternal grandmother (aged 68 years). The electroencephalogram showed diffuse spike-and-wave complexes and/or posterior spikes, and a photoparoxysmal response in the 4 subjects. The typical electrophysiologic features of cortical reflex myoclonus, such as giant somatosensory evoked potentials, enhancement of the C-reflex, and jerk-locked premyoclonus spikes, were found in all patients. CONCLUSION: This syndrome may represent a specific form of familial cortical tremor with a benign form of epilepsy and a new genetic model of cortical hyperexcitability inherited with an autosomal dominant mechanism. |
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