ABSTRACT
Prior to the establishment of nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE) as a form of epilepsy, a variety of clinical diagnoses had been suspected in these patients. These conditions included paroxysmal nocturnal dystonia (PND), paroxysmal arousal, episodic nocturnal wandering, non-REM parasomnias (e.g., sleep walking, night terrors, confusional arousals), primary psychiatric disorders, and epilepsy; in about 20% of cases no clear diagnosis could be made (Oldani et al. 1998b; Provini et al. 2000; Tinuper et al. 1990). The atypical presentation was one reason for the uncertainty about the true nature of NFLE, as was the lack of signi–cant EEG –ndings during or between the episodes. Its name implies that this is a nocturnal disorder affecting the frontal lobe, and, clinically, is a form of epilepsy. This chapter reviews what is known about the disorder as a means of examining how well the manifestations of NFLE re§ect its name.
