Progressive myoclonic epilepsies

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled “Progressive myoclonic epilepsies: myth or reality?” (Epileptic Disord. 2006 Apr;8 Suppl 1:37-43). Authors are Genton P and Bureau M from the Centre Saint-Paul, Marseille, France. The progressive myoclonus epilepsies (PME) are rare diseases and many clinicians, who have only few opportunities to encounter such patients, may think of them as mythical. PMEs are defined by: 1) generalized epileptic seizures (focal seizures may also occur in certain etiologies), 2) a sometimes invalidating myoclonus, and 3) other neurological symptoms (ataxia, dementia, sensory deficits) that vary according to etiology. The genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying PMEs are increasingly recognized. New therapeutic approaches are under development, and the available purely symptomatic treatments can be used to best possible effect. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.