Paroxysmal motor phenomena during sleep: Study on the frequency of parasomnias in patients with nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy and the relatives

To verify whether patients with NFLE and their relatives have a higher frequency of parasomnias, in particular arousal disorders, to shed light on the still unknown physiopathological mechanisms underlying NFLE. 358 individuals were interviewed: 26 patients with NFLE (M/F: 13/13), 161 relatives of probands, 20 control subjects and 151 relatives of controls. The following parasomnias were more frequent in the NFLE group: Probands vs controls: bruxism (p < 0.05) and arousal disorders such as sleep walking and sleep terror. Proband relatives vs control relatives: arousal disorders (p = 0.0186) and nightmares (p = 0.002). We confirmed the original hypothesis of a higher frequency of arousal disorders in patients with NFLE and their relatives suggesting a possible common physiopathological mechanism. The study disclosed also two "unexpected" findings: a higher frequency of bruxism in NFLE patients and nightmares in their relatives.