SPEECH DURING PARTIAL SEIZURES - INTRACRANIAL EEG CORRELATES

Vocalization during a seizure may help predict the location of seizure onset or identify structures ultimately involved in the seizure. Spontaneous vocalization during seizures was studied retrospectively in 22 patients with refractory complex partial seizures evaluated with bilateral intracranial electrodes. Of 22 patients, 12 vocalized during seizures. Seizures were as likely to originate from language-dominant (6/12) as from language-nondominant mesial temporal cortex (6/12). Fluent speech frequently occurred as seizure activity was recorded from language-dominant temporal lobe neocortex (6/12 seizures). Of the patients with well-localized seizure onsets who did not speak (6/10), seizures arose from both language-dominant and -nondominant mesial temporal cortex. We conclude that the presence or absence of vocalizations during a seizure does not reliably indicate the anatomic regions in which the seizure begins or spreads.