Potential brain language reorganization in a boy with refractory epilepsy; an fNIRS-EEG and fMRI comparison.

As part of a presurgical investigation for a resection of a tumor located in the left temporal brain region, we evaluated pre- and postsurgical language lateralization in a right-handed boy with refractory epilepsy. In this study, we compared functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) results obtained while the participant performed expressive and receptive language tasks with those obtained using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This case study illustrates the potential for NIRS to contribute favorably to the localization of language functions in children with epilepsy and cognitive or behavioral problems and its potential advantages over fMRI in presurgical assessment. Moreover, it suggests that fNIRS is sensitive in localizing an atypical language network or potential brain reorganization related to epilepsy in young patients.

Childhood trauma and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: A review of findings with speculations on the underlying mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review was to examine the possible link between psychological trauma in a patient's medical history and the onset of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). METHODOLOGY: An electronic search of published reports was made using the search engines PubMed-MedLine, EBSCO, PsycINFO, SFX, and Embase and the keywords "PNES", "psychogenic seizures", "sexual abuse", and "trauma". RESULTS: A correlation emerged between history of childhood trauma and the presence of PNES. Antecedent trauma was more frequent in females than in males and in patients exhibiting psychiatric disorders but was inversely correlated with cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: In the presence of PNES, it is important to accurately investigate the patient's medical history in search of psychological trauma, particularly in women and in patients with psychiatric disorders.