Effects of lateralisation and gender on temporal lobe ictal behaviour associated with hippocampal sclerosis

Introduction: Information derived from animal models and neuroradiological studies in humans indicates that males and females exhibit differences in the functional and anatomical organisation of the brain. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of gender in ictal behaviour considering lateralisation in a group with homogeneous pathology. Methods: Patients with hippocampal seizures who underwent temporal lobectomy and who were seizure-free during one year of follow-up were selected. Surgery was performed on the right side in 27 patients and on the left side in 21. Videotape recordings of the patients were reviewed in order to investigate ictal behaviour. There were 42 seizure episodes in 20 males and 40 in 21 females. For auras, 48 patients’ data were reviewed. Ictal behaviour was evaluated taking into consideration the lateralisation of seizures and gender differences. Results: Ictal vocalisation was significantly higher in females with right temporal lobe epilepsy (RTLE) ( P