Abstract
Objective
To look for evidence of peri‐ictal social interaction in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and epileptic seizures exploring the notion of PNES as a form of nonverbal communication.
Methods
Video recordings of typical seizures experienced by patients with epilepsy and PNES were obtained in a naturalistic social setting (residential epilepsy monitoring unit). Video analysis by three nonexpert clinicians identified 18 predefined semiological and interactional features indicative of apparent impairment of consciousness or of peri‐ictal responsiveness to the social environment with assessment of interrater reliability using Fleiss κ. Features were compared between epileptic seizures and PNES.
Results
One hundred eighty‐nine seizures from 50 participants (24 epilepsy, 18 PNES, eight combined) were analyzed. At least fair (κ > 0.20) interrater agreement was achieved for 14 features. The PNES and epileptic seizures compared were of similar severity in terms of ictal impairment of consciousness (κ = 0.34, odds ratio [OR] = 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.62‐1.96) and responsiveness (κ = 0.52, OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.55‐1.86). PNES were more likely to be preceded by attempts to alert others (κ = 0.52, OR = 12.4, 95% CI = 3.2‐47.7, P < .001), to show intensity affected by the presence of others (κ = 0.44, OR = 199.4, 95% CI = 12.0‐3309.9, P < .001), and to display postictal behavior affected by the presence of others (κ = 0.35, OR = 91.1, 95% CI = 17.2‐482.1, P < .001).
Significance
Nonexpert raters can, with fair to moderate reliability, rate features characterizing ictal impairment of consciousness and responsivity in video recordings of seizures. PNES are associated with greater peri‐ictal responsiveness to the social environment than epileptic seizures. These findings are consistent with a potential communicative function of PNES and could be of differential diagnostic significance.
MAR