86. Posttraumatic epilepsy in an Agatha Christie detective story

D. Vucinic, N. Jovic, Clinic of Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Belgrade,Serbia

Objective: For many centuries, persons with epilepsy were de-scribed in the literature. The understanding of seizures largely variedand reflected the attitude toward persons with epilepsy at the time.Modern literature concerns their quality of life. Despite the im-proved perception of epilepsy, the question of whether people withepilepsy are responsible for their actions is still of interest.

Methods: A realistic description of person with seizures, whichmay be based upon observation or investigation, can be found inAgatha Christie’s detective story The A.B.C. Murders.

Results: In ‘The A.B.C. Murders’, Agatha Christie described a manwith posttraumatic epilepsy. This timid, extremely tense, suggest-ible, hesitating person had a missile brain injury during WorldWar I. After returning home, he suffered from epileptic seizures,lapses and/or altered consciousness with ictal amnesia and posttrau-matic stress disorder. Despite the lack of recall concerning the mur-ders, he was convinced that he committed them during seizures.Impressive description of his probable complex partial seizure, clou-dy state, ictal fear and altered perception, terminating with a fall andloss of consciousness (secondary generalization?), was provided.

Conclusions: Agatha Christie described epilepsy in the main char-acter of her detective story and pointed out the problem of its stig-matization, social isolation and misunderstanding. Without formalmedical knowledge, she described the subject with epilepsy in away that provides complex medical analysis.

doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.01.111

87. Spirituality and quality of life in epilepsy

A.R. Giovagnoli 1, R.F. Meneses 2, F. Villani 3, A. Riva 1, J.L. Pais-Riberio 4, A. Martins daSilva 5, 1 Neuropsychology Unit, Carlo Besta Neurological Institute, Milano, Italy, 2 FCHS-Fernando Pessoa University, Porto, Portugal, 3 Epilepsy Center, Carlo Besta NeurologicalInstitute, Milano, Italy, 4 Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciencias da Educacao, Universidadedo Porto, Porto, Portugal, 5 Instituto Ciencias Biomedicas Abel Salazar, Universidade doPorto, Porto, Portugal

Objective: Although quality of life (QOL) varies markedly in neu-rological patients, the influence of spirituality is rarely considered.This study evaluated the relationship of spirituality (as a latent con-struct distinct from religiousness) to QOL in patients with epilepsyand other chronic brain disorders.

Methods: Two hundred and thirteen patients with epilepsy, braintumors, ischemic or immune-mediated lesions and 66 healthy sub-jects completed the inventories for QOL (WHOQOL100), spirituality(spirituality, religiousness and personal beliefs, WHOSRPB), depres-sion (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI), anxiety (State Trait AnxietyInventory, STAI), and cognitive self-efficacy (Multiple Ability Self Re-port Questionnaire, MASQ) and underwent neuropsychologicaltesting.

Results: Separate factor analyses distinguished the SRPB, STAI,and BDI (personal meaning and energy, mood, inner freedom, aweand openness) and the MASQ and neuropsychological test scores(cognition, semantics, perceived functions) into different domains.Compared to the controls, all of the patient groups had lower scoresin the overall QOL, physical, and level of independence domains. Inaddition, the epilepsy, vascular, and mild cognitive impairment pa-tients were significantly more depressed and reported greater cogni-tive difficulties. In the whole neurological population, the mood,spiritual, and perceived functions factors, mobility, and self-ratedhealth explained 66% of the variance in QOL. In epilepsy patients,QOL was predicted by mood and spirituality.

Conclusions: In chronic neurological disorders, spirituality andmood are distinctive personal aspects and separately predict QOL.A comprehensive neuropsychological model of QOL including innerindividual aspects may help in understanding a patient’s point ofview, supporting clinical decision making.

doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.01.112

Topic 5. Drugs, neurostimulation, epilepsy and the mind

88. The effect of EMF treatment at the low frequencies of 10 and30 Hz on spatial memory of mice in the Morris water maze

M. Kafaee Razavi 1, M. Tehranipour 1, A.R. Haghpayma 2, 1 Department of Biology,Faculty of Science, Azad University, Mashhad Ranch, Mashhad, Iran, 2 Department ofPhysics, Faculty of Science, Azad University, Mashhad Ranch, Mashhad, Iran

Objective: Studies show that low-frequency electromagneticfields (EMFs) can have effects on brain physiological processes. Thusthe aim of this study was to determine the effect of a very low fre-quency EMF (10 Hz, 2 lT) on the spatial memory of mice usingthe Morris water maze (MWM).

Methods: Animals were divided into an experimental group and acontrol group. Animals in the experimental group were exposed to a10-Hz, 2-lT EMF for 20 min each day for 7 days. Control animalswere exposed to a turned off EMF setup. Spatial memory was thenanalyzed using the Morris water maze. Data were subjected to mul-tivariate analysis with a significance level of P < 0.05.

Results: Mice exposed to the 10-Hz, 2-lT EMF performed signifi-cantly better (P < 0.05) than control mice in a test of spatial memory.

Conclusion: Spatial memory of mice exposed to an EMF in the fre-quency range of alpha brain activity was amplified.

doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.01.113

89. The effects of opiate receptor agonists and antagonists onspontaneous seizure activity in hippocampal slices

A. Alijarahi, Qazvin Azad University

Objective: Several reports have shown that opioid administrationto humans and experimental animals can cause seizures. In epilepsysurgery, short acting opioids induce seizure activity in epileptogenicbrain tissue. Also, chronic morphine exposure in mature animals en-hances the seizure promoting actions of bicuculline. Therefore, in thepresent study we addressed the question of whether morphineapplication potentiated spontaneous seizure activity in epilepto-genic hippocampal slices.

Methods: Hippocampal slices (�400 lm) were prepared fromyoung Wistar rats (P15-25). Seizure activity was induced by contin-uously perfusing the slices with low Mg2+ perfusate in an interfacerecording chamber. Extracellular recordings were performed in thehippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell layer. Low Mg2+ caused spontane-ous epileptic activity in all studied hippocampal slices (n = 5). Sei-zure activity was quantified by measuring the amplitude andduration of the ictal events as well as their number before and afterthe application of the study drugs. Also, the number of interictalspikes was determined to complement the analysis of seizure dis-charges before and after drug application.

Results: (1) Low doses of morphine (10 lM) suppressed seizureactivity, whereas high doses of morphine (15, 30 and 100 lM) poten-tiated seizure activity in a dose dependent manner. This effectwas completely reversed by the addition of naloxone (10 lM).

604 Abstracts / Epilepsy & Behavior 17 (2010) 579–620