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These myoclonic twitches, jerks, or seizures are usually caused by sudden muscle contractions (positive myoclonus) or brief lapses of contraction (negative myoclonus). The most common circumstance under which they occur is while falling asleep ( hypnic jerk ).
A hypnic jerk, hypnagogic jerk, sleep start, sleep twitch, myoclonic jerk, or night start is a brief and sudden involuntary contraction of the muscles of the body which occurs when a person is beginning to fall asleep, often causing the person to jump and awaken suddenly for a moment.
Of the newer antiepileptic drugs, levetiracetam may be the most effective, because of its anti myoclonic and anti photosensitive properties. Lamotrigine is very effective in absence seizures but may exaggerate myoclonic jerks. Contra-indicated drugs are: Carbamazepine, gabapentin, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, pregabalin, tiagabine and vigabatrin ...
Sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE), previously known as nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy, is a form of focal epilepsy characterized by seizures which arise during sleep. The seizures are most typically characterized by complex motor behaviors. It is a relatively uncommon form of epilepsy that constitutes approximately 9-13% of cases.
Generalized seizures can take the form of myoclonic jerks, absences, or generalized tonic-clonic seizures. [2] Myoclonic jerks are the most common generalized seizures seen among reflex seizures and can be located in the limbs, trunk, or in specific regions of the body (e.g., in the muscles of the jaw or the eyelids).
Additionally, patients often have other seizures types including atonic (abrupt, brief events of loss of tone, often leading to falls), atypical absences (staring spells with more gradual onset and offset), myoclonic jerks, generalized tonic-clonic or focal seizures. While many antiseizure medications can reduce seizure burden, patients do not ...
In some cases, patients with epilepsy are advised to sleep 6-7 consecutive hours as opposed to broken-up sleep (e.g., 6 hours at night and a 2-hour nap) and to avoid caffeine and sleeping pills in order to prevent seizures. [44]
Dravet syndrome (DS), previously known as severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI), is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder which causes a catastrophic form of epilepsy, with prolonged seizures that are often triggered by hot temperatures or fever. [1] It is very difficult to treat with anticonvulsant medications.