From the Research
Response to Painful Stimuli in Seizure Patients
- The response of patients experiencing seizures to painful stimuli can vary depending on the type and origin of the seizure [(1,2,3)].
- A study on partial seizures found that some patients responded to stimuli during the seizure, but their ability to recall the stimuli was impaired 1.
- Research on painful seizures suggests that they are a rare but distinct clinical presentation of epilepsy, and the response to painful stimuli may be influenced by the underlying pathophysiology and anatomic networks involved [(4,3)].
- The nociceptive threshold of patients with epilepsy has been found to differ from that of healthy subjects, with some patients having a higher threshold for pain 2.
- Reflex seizures, which are evoked by specific stimuli, can also affect the response to painful stimuli, and may be precipitated by various triggers including somatosensory stimulation 5.