ABSTRACT
Lathers and Schraeder (Lathers and Schraeder 1982; Schraeder and Lathers 1983) demonstrated that autonomic dysfunction occurs during ictal and interictal epileptogenic activity induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ). Lathers et al. (1987) defined the lockstep phenomenon (LSP), during which postganglionic cardiac sympathetic neural discharge occurs as if time locked to electrocorticographic epileptiform discharges (Figure 20.1). The purpose of this study is to determine whether LSP in any of its patterns is related to sudden alterations in autonomic function as manifested by precipitous changes in mean arterial blood pressure. A better understanding of LSP and how it correlates with changes in physiological parameters such as mean arterial blood pressure, cardiac neural discharge, and cardiac rate and rhythm will help to delineate mechanisms that may contribute to sudden death in the epileptic person. Such an understanding should then allow one to develop better drugs and/or combination of drugs to prevent the physiologic changes that may result in a fatal event.
