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  Background & Objective : Benign Rolandic epilepsy is one of the most common epileptic syndrome in children with an excellent outcome. The pattern of inheritance is autosomal dominant and usually started between 3-14 years. The purpose of this study was to show clinical manifestation, outcome and good recovery of these patients after treatment.

  Methods : In this descriptive and prospective study between 2000-2001in Isfahan University of medical science, 21 patients according to clinical and electroencephalographic findings of Rolandic epilepsy were evaluated.

  Results : 17 patients were male and 4 female. The range of patients age was between 4-18. positive family history of Rolandic epilepsy were seen in 7 patients. There is not any recurrence of attacks after treatment with carbamazepin (18 patients) and sodium valproate
(3 patients).

  Conclusion : Clinical diagnosis with EEG findings are very important in patients with Rolandic epilepsy. Physicians must inform patients and their parents about excellent outcome of this type of epilepsy.

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  Background & Objectives : Cortical spreading depression (SD), a self-propagating depolarization of neuroglial cells, is believed to play a role in different neurological disorders including epilepsy and migraine aura. A brief period of excitation heralds SD which is immediately followed by nerve cell depression and later by prolonged excitation. The aim of the present study was to investigate relationship between SD and late phase of excitability and seizure burst activity inlateral amygdale of rat.

  Methods: Male Wistar rats with 250-350 gram body weight were used. We usedamygdale slices taken from Wistar rats. SD was induced by KCl. After superfusion of these slices with sub-epileptic concentration of bicuculline for 45 min, the induction of SD in the lateral amygdale resulted in presence of interictal and ictalepileptiform field potentials.

  Results: After initiation of SD in lateral amygdale, glutamate receptors (NMDA, AMPA) antagonists as well as K⁺ and Ca⁺⁺ channels blockers were able to decrease the amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic potentials.

  Conclusion: The results imply a possible role for SD in temporal lobe epilepsy in predisposed neural tissue with increased excitation or decreased inhibition. The study of the late phase of SD excitability may help us to understand the mechanism of SD action in associated neurological disorders. This finding may improve the therapeutic strategies for treatment of epilepsy.

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  Background & objectives : Epileptic seizures accompany disturbances in learning, memory, and cognitive skills. With regard to antiepileptic potential of curcumin and its beneficial effect on memory, the effect of its administration on learning and memory in kainate-epileptic rats was investigated.

  Methods: Forty male rats were divided into sham, positive control ( valproate-treated epileptic), epileptic, and two curcumin-treated epileptic groups. Rat model of epilepsy was induced by unilateral intrahippocampal administration of 4 μg of kainate per rat. Rats received intraperitoneal injection of curcumin (50 and 100 mg/kg) daily for 1 week before surgery. For evaluation of learning and memory, initial (IL) and step-through latencies (STL) were determined using passive avoidance test and alternation behavior percentage was obtained according to Y maze test.

  Results: Regarding IL, there was no significant difference between the groups. In contrast, STL significantly decreased in curcumin-50-treated epileptic group (p<0.05) (a change from 263.1 to 184.5 s). However, this parameter significantly increased in curcumin-100-treated epileptic group as compared to epileptic group (p<0.01) (a change from 263.1 to 220.3 s). In addition, STL was also significantly higher in valproic acid-treated epileptic group versus epileptic group (p<0.05) (a change from 145.7 to 210.3 s). Alternation percentage was also significantly higher in curcumin-50- and curcumin-100-treated epileptic groups relative to epileptic group (p<0.05) (a change from 60.5 to 77.6 and 80.3%).

  Conclusion: Curcumin could dose-dependently enhance the consolidation and recall in epileptic animals and could improve spatial memory in such animals.

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Background & objectives: Temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with neuronal apoptosis. Curcumin has antioxidant and anticonvulsant activities, therefore this study was conducted to assess involvement of Bax and Bcl2 in protective effect of curcumin in epileptic rats.

Methods: 28 rats were divided into sham, curcumin-pretreated sham, epileptic (kainate), and curcumin-pretreated epileptic groups. Experimental model of epilepsy was induced by intrahippocampal administration of kainic acid. Rats received curcumin at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Finally, Nissl staining and Bax and Bcl2 immunohistochemistry were conducted on hippocampal sections and data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and unpaired t-test. The p-value less than 0.05was considered statistically significant.

Results: Induction of epilepsy was followed by a significant seizure and curcumin pretreatment significantly reduced seizure intensity (p<0.01). In addition, there were no significant differences between the groups in Nissl staining of CA3 area neurons. In addition, Bax positive neurons were observed in CA3 area in kainate group and significantly decreased in curcumin pretreated rats (p<0.05). Meanwhile, Bcl2 positive neurons were also moderately observed in kainate group and curcumin pretreatment significantly increased it (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Curcumin pretreatment exhibits anticonvulsant activity in epileptic rats. It also decreases the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and significantly enhances the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 and hence could reduce neuronal apoptosis.

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Background & objectives: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that disrupts normal brain activity due to abnormal electrical discharge of brain cells. Mood swings, depression and anxiety are the common complications in epilepsy. The aim of the present study was to compare alexithymia in patients with Tonic-clonic epilepsy, Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME), and healthy individuals.
Methods: In this casual-comparative study, sampling was performed by convenience sampling method. The study population consisted of all epileptic patients and the study sample included 134 participants (N= 74 Patients and N= 60 healthy people) individuals aged 18-35 years. Among the patients, 14 were excluded due to lack of selection criteria and 60 samples (N= 29 with myoclonic and N= 31 with Tonic-clonic epilepsy) remained.
Data regarding alexithymia was gathered by Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and analyzed by ANOVA, Scheffé post - hoc test and t-test were performed for independent groups.
Results: Findings showed that the mean of Alexithymia in those with JME,  tonic-clonic epilepsy and normal individuals were 64.44, 61.41, and 54.24, respectively. The difference between the two groups with myoclonic and tonic-clonic epilepsy was not statistically significant. However, there was a significant difference found between those with tonic-clonic epilepsy and normal individuals (T= 6.82; p<0.01). In addition, patients with  JME  and tonic-clonic epilepsy had more difficulty in identifying and describing emotions, and external thought direction compared to normal ones, while no such a difference was observed between the two groups with epilepsy.
Conclusion: Epilepsy is accompanied by reduced processing of emotional information such as alexithymia. Individuals with tonic-clonic and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy are less qualified for recognizing and describing emotional information, and their intellectual orientation is mostly external. Also, since the location of discharge in both types is widespread and similar, no significant difference in alexithymia was observed between the patients with tonic-clonic and myoclonic epilepsy

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Background & objectives: Epilepsy is one of the most common problems in the health system, of which some cases are resistant to treatment. Recently, environmental enrichment has shown beneficial results in the recovery of some cases of epilepsy.
Methods: Male mice were reared in an enriched or normal medium during their growth period. To induce seizures, at adult age, each group was divided into two subgroups, which one of them received pentylenetetrazole eleven times, with two days interval.
Results: The enriched environment greatly reduced seizure behaviors and prevented the occurrence of anxiety-like behavior and cognitive disorders. It also prevented an increase in the inflammatory cytokine of TNF-α in the hippocampus.
Conclusion: Therefore, a suitable growth environment in childhood and adolescence can be useful in preventing seizure disorders in adulthood.