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OBJETIVO: Investigação das características clínicas e genéticas das epilepsias parciais familiares nos ambulatórios de epilepsia da UNICAMP. MÉTODO: História familiar foi obtida em todos os pacientes em acompanhamento, de outubro de 1997 a dezembro de 1998, e aqueles com história familiar positiva para epilepsia foram investigados em detalhe. Heredograma detalhado foi construído para todas as famílias identificadas e história clínica de todos os indivíduos possivelmente afetados foi obtida. Crises e síndromes epilépticas foram classificadas de acordo com as recomendações da ILAE. Sempre que possível, EEG e ressonância magnética foram realizados. RESULTADOS: História familiar positiva foi identificada em 32 pacientes não relacionados. Um total de 213 indivíduos possivelmente afetados foram identificados, dos quais 161 foram clinicamente avaliados. O número de indivíduos afetados por família variou de dois a 23. Epilepsia de lobo temporal (ELT) foi identificada em 22 famílias (68%), epilepsia de lobo frontal em uma família (3%), epilepsia com espículas centro-temporais em cinco famílias (15%) e outras epilepsias parciais benignas da infância em quatro famílias (12%). A maioria dos indivíduos afetados nas famílias com ELT (69%) apresentava características clínicas e/ou de EEG consistentes com ELT típica. Entretanto, a gravidade da epilepsia variou, com 76% dos pacientes com remissão de crises ou bom controle com medicação, e 24% com crises refratárias, incluindo 7 pacientes que foram submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico. Nas 10 famílias com outras síndromes epilépticas, identificamos 39 indivíduos possivelmente afetados, sendo 23 avaliados clinicamente. Todos apresentavam bom controle de crises (com ou sem medicação) exceto um paciente com epilepsia frontal. Análise dos heredogramas sugeriu herança autossômica dominante com penetrância incompleta em todas as famílias estudadas. CONCLUSÃO: A ocorrência familiar é comum nas epilepsias parciais, tanto em adultos como em crianças. A maior parte dos casos estudados foi de pacientes com ELT e a expressão clínica não foi diferente da observada em casos esporádicos, predominando pacientes com bom controle de crises, apesar do caráter heterogêneo. A identificação dos genes envolvidos nos casos estudados poderá ser útil na classificação das síndromes epilépticas, na determinação do prognóstico e regime terapêutico mais indicado.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of familial partial epilepsies. METHOD: Family history of seizures was questioned in all patients followed in our epilepsy clinics, from October 1997 to December 1998. Those with positive family history were further investigated and detailed pedigrees were obtained. All possibly affected individuals available underwent clinical evaluation. Seizures and epilepsy syndromes were classified according to the ILAE recommendations. Whenever possible, EEG and MRI were performed. RESULTS: Positive family history was identified in 32 unrelated patients. A total of 213 possibly affected individuals were identified, 161 of whom have been evaluated. The number of affected subjects per family ranged from two to 23. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was identified in 22 families (68%), frontal lobe epilepsy in one family (3%), partial epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes in five families (15%), and other benign partial epilepsies of childhood in four families (12%). Most of the affected individuals in the TLE families (69%) had clinical and/or EEG characteristics of typical TLE. However, the severity of epilepsy was variable, with 76% of patients with spontaneous seizure remission or good control with medication and 24% with refractory seizures, including 7 patients that underwent surgical treatment. In the other 10 families, we identified 39 possibly affected subjects, 23 of whom were evaluated. All had good seizure control (with or without medication) except for one patient with frontal lobe epilepsy. Pedigree analysis suggested autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance in all families. CONCLUSION: Family history of seizures is frequent among patients with partial epilepsies. The majority of our families had TLE and its expression was not different from that observed in sporadic cases. The identification of genes involved in partial epilepsies may be usefull in classification of syndromes, to stablish prognosis and optimal treatment.

OBJETIVO: Investigação das características clínicas e genéticas das epilepsias parciais familiares nos ambulatórios de epilepsia da UNICAMP. MÉTODO: História familiar foi obtida em todos os pacientes em acompanhamento, de outubro de 1997 a dezembro de 1998, e aqueles com história familiar positiva para epilepsia foram investigados em detalhe. Heredograma detalhado foi construído para todas as famílias identificadas e história clínica de todos os indivíduos possivelmente afetados foi obtida. Crises e síndromes epilépticas foram classificadas de acordo com as recomendações da ILAE. Sempre que possível, EEG e ressonância magnética foram realizados. RESULTADOS: História familiar positiva foi identificada em 32 pacientes não relacionados. Um total de 213 indivíduos possivelmente afetados foram identificados, dos quais 161 foram clinicamente avaliados. O número de indivíduos afetados por família variou de dois a 23. Epilepsia de lobo temporal (ELT) foi identificada em 22 famílias (68%), epilepsia de lobo frontal em uma família (3%), epilepsia com espículas centro-temporais em cinco famílias (15%) e outras epilepsias parciais benignas da infância em quatro famílias (12%). A maioria dos indivíduos afetados nas famílias com ELT (69%) apresentava características clínicas e/ou de EEG consistentes com ELT típica. Entretanto, a gravidade da epilepsia variou, com 76% dos pacientes com remissão de crises ou bom controle com medicação, e 24% com crises refratárias, incluindo 7 pacientes que foram submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico. Nas 10 famílias com outras síndromes epilépticas, identificamos 39 indivíduos possivelmente afetados, sendo 23 avaliados clinicamente. Todos apresentavam bom controle de crises (com ou sem medicação) exceto um paciente com epilepsia frontal. Análise dos heredogramas sugeriu herança autossômica dominante com penetrância incompleta em todas as famílias estudadas. CONCLUSÃO: A ocorrência familiar é comum nas epilepsias parciais, tanto em adultos como em crianças. A maior parte dos casos estudados foi de pacientes com ELT e a expressão clínica não foi diferente da observada em casos esporádicos, predominando pacientes com bom controle de crises, apesar do caráter heterogêneo. A identificação dos genes envolvidos nos casos estudados poderá ser útil na classificação das síndromes epilépticas, na determinação do prognóstico e regime terapêutico mais indicado. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of familial partial epilepsies. METHOD: Family history of seizures was questioned in all patients followed in our epilepsy clinics, from October 1997 to December 1998. Those with positive family history were further investigated and detailed pedigrees were obtained. All possibly affected individuals available underwent clinical evaluation. Seizures and epilepsy syndromes were classified according to the ILAE recommendations. Whenever possible, EEG and MRI were performed. RESULTS: Positive family history was identified in 32 unrelated patients. A total of 213 possibly affected individuals were identified, 161 of whom have been evaluated. The number of affected subjects per family ranged from two to 23. Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was identified in 22 families (68%), frontal lobe epilepsy in one family (3%), partial epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes in five families (15%), and other benign partial epilepsies of childhood in four families (12%). Most of the affected individuals in the TLE families (69%) had clinical and/or EEG characteristics of typical TLE. However, the severity of epilepsy was variable, with 76% of patients with spontaneous seizure remission or good control with medication and 24% with refractory seizures, including 7 patients that underwent surgical treatment. In the other 10 families, we identified 39 possibly affected subjects, 23 of whom were evaluated. All had good seizure control (with or without medication) except for one patient with frontal lobe epilepsy. Pedigree analysis suggested autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance in all families. CONCLUSION: Family history of seizures is frequent among patients with partial epilepsies. The majority of our families had TLE and its expression was not different from that observed in sporadic cases. The identification of genes involved in partial epilepsies may be usefull in classification of syndromes, to stablish prognosis and optimal treatment.

Chronic systemic inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I by rotenone causes nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration in rats, producing an in vivo experimental model of Parkinson's disease. We recently showed that micromolar Ca2+ concentrations strongly stimulate the release of reactive oxygen species in rotenone-treated isolated rat brain mitochondria. In the present work, we show that the natural antioxidant melatonin inhibits Ca2+ plus rotenone-induced oxidative stress in isolated rat brain mitochondria. In addition, the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 strongly potentiates rotenone-induced death of intact cultured pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, in a mechanism sensitive to melatonin. Moreover, melatonin inhibits the detection of reactive oxygen species release in PC12 cells treated with rotenone plus A23187. Melatonin does not alter free Ca2+ concentrations or the inhibitory effect of rotenone on mitochondrial complex I. We conclude that micromolar Ca2+ concentrations stimulate neuronal cell death induced by mitochondrial complex I inhibition in a mechanism involving oxidative stress, preventable by the antioxidant melatonin.

In this study we show that micromolar Ca(2+) concentrations (>10 microM) strongly stimulate the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rotenone-treated isolated rat forebrain mitochondria. Ca(2+)-stimulated mitochondrial ROS release was associated with membrane lipid peroxidation and was directly correlated with the degree of complex I inhibition by rotenone. On the other hand, Ca(2+) did not increase mitochondrial ROS release in the presence of the complex I inhibitor 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium. Cyclosporin A had no effect on Ca(2+)-stimulated mitochondrial ROS release in the presence of rotenone, indicating that mitochondrial permeability transition is not involved in this process. We hypothesized that Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial oxidative stress associated with partial inhibition of complex I may be an important factor in neuronal cell death observed in the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson's disease.

Summary: Purpose: Familial forms of temporal lobe epilepsy have been described recently. A locus on ch 10q has been linked to partial epilepsy with auditory symptoms. We investigated the proportion of families segregating temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) linked to ch 10q and sought to establish genotype–phenotype correlations. Methods: We studied 15 unrelated families segregating TLE. A total of 153 individuals, including 79 patients, were analyzed in this study. Family members were genotyped for four polymorphic dinucleotide repeat markers: D10S185, D10S574, D10S577, and D10S192, which flank the 15-cM candidate interval on ch 10q. Two-point lod scores were calculated for each family separately. Results: Fourteen of our families had ictal semiology of mesial temporal onset of seizures and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in the mesial structures; only one family, with seven affected individuals, reported auditory symptoms and had normal MRIs. Pedigree analysis showed an autosomal dominant transmission with 0.75 penetrance. Only two families had informative lod scores. A large family, with 22 affected individuals segregating mesial TLE, had negative lod scores for all four markers genotyped. The lod scores were significantly negative (less than –2.00) up to 0.05 for D10S185, 0.10 for D10S574, 0.25 for D10S577, and 0.15 for D10S192. The single family with auditory symptoms had positive lod scores for all markers genotyped, with a Z max of 1.52 at 0.0 for D10S574. Conclusions: We identified two different clinical groups of families segregating TLE. Most families identified in this study had mesial TLE. Only one single family segregating lateral TLE was found. We significantly excluded linkage between familial mesial TLE and the locus on ch 10q. In addition, we showed evidence for linkage between one family with lateral TLE and markers on ch 10q. This is strong evidence for clinical and genetic heterogeneity among familial forms of TLE.

Objective: To describe the clinical, genetic and MR characteristics of patients with familial mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Design/Methods: The familial occurrence of MTLE was identified by a systematic search of family history of seizures in patients followed in the authors’ epilepsy clinic. All probands and, whenever possible, other affected family members underwent EEG and MR investigations. Results: Twenty-two unrelated families with at least two individuals with MTLE were identified by clinical and EEG findings. Ninety-eight individuals with history of seizures were evaluated. Sixty-eight patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for MTLE. MRI was performed in 84 patients, and showed hippocampal atrophy with increased T2 signal in 48 (57%). The distribution of hippocampal atrophy according to the seizure outcome groups was 6 of 13 patients (46%) with seizure remission, 16 of 31 (51%) with good seizure control under medication, and all 16 patients with refractory MTLE. Hippocampal atrophy was found also in patients that did not fulfill the criteria for MTLE: 3 of 10 (30%) patients with febrile seizure alone, 6 of 10 (60%) patients with recurrent generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and 1 of 4 (25%) patients with a single partial seizure. Conclusion: Familial MTLE is a clinically heterogeneous syndrome. Hippocampal atrophy was observed in 57% of patients, including those with benign course or seizure remission, indicating that the relationship between hippocampal atrophy and severity of epilepsy might be more complex than previously suspected. In addition, these findings indicate the presence of a strong genetic component determining the development of mesial temporal sclerosis in these families.