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A polygraphic study on resistance to habituation of the somatic, autonomic and EEG components of the orienting reaction elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus was performed in 66 epileptics with therapy-resistant partial seizures (TRPS) and in 135 matched subjects in two control groups. The study showed a significantly higher resistance to habituation of the orienting reaction in epileptics with TRPS vs. the normal subjects of the control group I. A significantly higher resistance to habituation was also noted vs. the epileptics with therapy-controlled partial seizures of control group II. The correlational analysis of data showed that the severity of these habituation disturbances in epileptics with TRPS depended on the patients' age, type of electroclinical seizures, pretrial seizure frequency, type of resting EEG, administered treatment (no. of administered antiepileptic drugs/patient), daily dose, as well as on the serum level of these drugs. The multivariate regression analysis showed that the most significant predictive variables for the habituation disturbances were the pretrial seizure frequency, type of electroclinical seizures, daily dose of administered antiepileptic drugs and their serum level. The data also evidenced that the antiepileptic treatment improves the interictal habituation disturbances, the effect being more marked as the treatment was more sustained. The above-mentioned habituation changes in epileptics with TRPS should be ascribed to some disturbances in nervous excitability.

A polygraphic study of the somatic, autonomic and EEG components of the orienting reaction elicited by an auditory stimulus was performed in 66 epileptics with therapy-resistant partial seizures (TRPS) and in 135 matched subjects in two control groups. The study showed a significant interictal hyperresponsivity in epileptics with TRPS vs. the normal subjects of control group I, which consisted in a marked increase of the intensity of the orienting reaction components. This hyperresponsivity was also more marked than that noted in epileptics with therapy-controlled partial seizures of control group II. The correlational analysis of data showed that the severity of these responsiveness disturbances in epileptics with TRPS depended on the patients' age, type of electroclinical seizures, pretrial seizure frequency, type of resting EEG, administered treatment (no. of administered antiepileptic drugs/patient), daily dose, as well as on the serum level of these drugs. The multivariate regression analysis showed that the most significant predictive variables for the responsiveness disturbances were the pretrial seizure frequency, type of electroclinical seizures, daily dose of administered antiepileptic drugs and their serum level. The data also evidenced that the antiepileptic treatment improves the interictal responsiveness disturbances, the effect being the more marked as the treatment was more sustained. The above-mentioned responsiveness changes in epileptics with TRPS should be ascribed to some disturbances in nervous excitability.

A computerized EEG topographic analysis (CETA) was carried out in 69 epileptics in order to evaluate the diagnostic value of such an investigation compared to that of the routine interictal EEG. The spectral frequency analysis of the bioelectrical activity in these patients was accomplished both by the fast Fourier transform and by the autoregression method. The obtained data were used for the spatial analysis of the electrical activity which was performed both by the interhemispheric coherence technique and by the color-coded topographic mapping in frequency bands. The data analysis showed that in 58 (84.1%) of the epileptics in whom routine EEG evidenced focal interictal bioelectrical abnormalities CETA also showed such abnormalities. However, CETA revealed focal abnormalities also in 8 (72.7%) out of the 11 epileptics in whom interictal EEG was interpreted as normal. The data analysis also showed that CETA was more efficient than EEG in the detection of focal abnormalities in the epilepsy with slow graphic elements, in the partial epilepsy, in the epilepsy with late onset and in the therapy-resistant epilepsy. The focal abnormalities evidenced by CETA were more expanded than those evidenced by routine EEG and the topographic maps indicated the focal involvement of a significant number of frequency bands. Considering the results, the authors make some appreciation regarding the diagnostic values of CETA in epilepsy.

A polygraphic study on resistance to habituation of the somatic, autonomic and EEG components of the orienting reaction elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus was performed in 39 epileptics with therapy-resistant generalized seizures (TRGS) and in 119 matched subjects in two control groups. The study showed a significantly higher resistance to habituation of the orienting reaction in epileptics with TRGS vs. the normal subjects of control group I. A significantly higher resistance to habituation was also noted in epileptics with therapy-controlled generalized seizures of control group II. The correlational analysis of data showed that the severity of these habituation disturbances in epileptics with TRGS depended on the patients' age, type of electroclinical seizures, pretrial seizure frequency, type of resting EEG, administered treatment (no. of administered antiepileptic drugs/patient), daily dose, as well as on the serum level of these drugs. The multivariate regression analysis showed that the most significant predictive variables for the habituation disturbances were the pretrial seizure frequency, type of electroclinical seizures, daily dose of administered antiepileptic drugs and their serum level. The data also evidenced that the antiepileptic treatment improves the interictal habituation disturbances, the effect being the more marked as the treatment was more sustained. The above-mentioned habituation changes in epileptics with TRGS should be ascribed to some disturbances in nervous excitability.

A polygraphic study on resistance to habituation of the somatic (EMG), autonomic (finger plethysmogram, galvanic skin reaction, respiration) and EEG (acoustic evoked potential and EEG-blocking reaction) components of the orienting reaction elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus during successive (weekly) session was performed in 67 chronic alcoholics and in 70 matched normal subjects (control group). The study showed significant retention disturbances of orienting reaction habituation (i.e. of learning), the "saving" of stimulations achieved from one session to the other to obtain the habituation criterion, being lesser in alcoholics than in control normal subjects. The severity of habituation retention disturbances depended on the patients' age, type of alcoholism, alcohol consumption intensity and chronicity, as well as the type of resting EEG.

A polygraphic study of the somatic, autonomic and EEG components of the orienting reaction elicited by an auditory stimulus was performed in 39 epileptics with therapy-resistant generalized seizures (TRGS) and in 119 matched subjects in two control groups. The study showed a significant interictal hyperresponsivity in epileptics with TRGS vs. the normal subjects of control group I, which consisted in a marked increase of the intensity of the orienting reaction components. This hyperresponsivity was also more marked than that noted in epileptics with therapy-controlled generalized seizures of control group II. The correlation analysis of data showed that the severity of these responsiveness disturbances in epileptics with TRGS depended on the patients' age, type of electroclinical seizures, pretrial seizure frequency, type of resting EEG, administered treatment (no. of administered antiepileptic drugs/patient), daily dose, as well as on the serum level of these drugs. The multivariate regression analysis showed that the most significant predictive variables for the responsiveness disturbances were the pretrial seizure frequency, type of electroclinical seizures, daily dose of administered antiepileptic drugs and their serum level. The data also evidenced that the antiepileptic treatment improves the interictal responsiveness disturbances, the effect being the more marked as the treatment was more sustained. The above-mentioned responsiveness changes in epileptics with TRGS should be ascribed to some disturbances in nervous excitability.

In a group of 38 epileptics, 13.1 % had alterations of serum lipids before administration of antiepileptic therapy. An inverse relation was found between the level of serum lipids and that of drug concentration : on minimal daily doses, phenobarbital attained disproportionally high concentrations in a patient with hypocholesterolemia + hypotriglyceridemia, while on large daily doses phenobarbital and/or diphenylhydantoin attained low concentrations in the patients with hypercholesterolemia alone or accompanied by hypertriglyceridemia.

A polygraphic study of the somatic (electromyogram), autonomic (finger plethysmogram, galvanic skin reaction, respiration, pulse), and electroencephalographic (acoustic-evoked potential and EEG-blocking reaction) components of the orienting reaction elicited by an auditory stimulus was performed in 36 patients with night terrors and in 72 matched subjects in two control groups. The study showed a significantly more intense orienting reaction in patients with night terrors than in normal subjects (Control Group I). Moreover, the orienting reaction intensity in subjects with night terrors was significantly lower than in patients with symptomatic epilepsy (Control Group II). The orienting reactions of patients with night terrors depended on the patient's age, the history of nocturnal episodes, and their clinical form, as well as on etiology.

A polygraphic study on resistance to habituation of the somatic, autonomic and EEG components of the orienting reaction elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus was performed in 41 patients with epileptogenic cerebral tumours and in 128 matched subjects in three control groups. The study evidenced a significantly higher resistance to habituation of the orienting reaction in patients with epileptogenic cerebral tumours than in control subjects. The degree of habituation disturbances depended on the tumour site and size as well as on the electro-clinical form and frequency of seizures.

The electrographic study performed on 106 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and 31 normal subjects showed marked interictal cerebral reactivity disturbances in this form of epilepsy. These disturbances, estimated by testing the orienting reflex and its habituation, were expressed, as a rule, by intensification of somatic, autonomic and electroencephalographic components of the reaction, increase in their resistance to habituation and change in the sequence in which they become habituated. The severity of reactivity disturbances depended on the localization of electroencephalographic focus, clinical form of seizures and characteristics of interictal electroencephalographic abnormalities. The most marked reactivity disturbances were noted in patients in whom the interictal foci were bitemporal, anterior or predominantly anterior (particularly left), accompanied specially by generalized or generalized + partial seizures or by interictal graphoelements of the irritative type. The reactivity disturbances were less severe in epileptics in whom the interictal foci were unitemporal (particularly right), middle, predominantly middle, posterior or associated to partial seizures. In a few patients in whom the interictal bioelectrical activity reflected a nervous hypoexcitability, the reactivity disturbances assumed the appearance of hyporeactivity. The different intensities of reactivity alterations in temporal lobe epilepsy should be related to the different capacity of the epileptogenic lesions to determine interictal changes in diffuse excitability. This capacity depends on he structures involved by the epileptic discharges, which by their morpho-functional particularities, can influence the cerebral excitability.

A polygraphic study of 105 patients with late-post-traumatic psychiatric disturbances and 158 matched subjects in two control groups has shown marked differences in nervous reactivity. The differences, estimated by testing the electrographic components of the orienting reaction elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus and its habituation were expressed by changes in the intensity, resistance to habituation, and sequence of habituation of the somatic, autonomic, and EEG components. The character and severity of alterations depended on the site of the traumatic impact, lesional aspect of the craniocerebral trauma, clinical picture of mental disturbances, and features of the EEG tracings.

A polygraphic study performed on 102 patients with late post-traumatic epilepsy has shown marked interictal nervous reactivity disturbances. The disturbances, estimated by testing for the electrographic components of the orienting reflex elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus, and for their habituation, were expressed by alterations in the intensity, resistance to habituation and sequence of habituation of the somatic, autonomic and EEG components. The character and severity of these disturbances depended on the site of the traumatic impact, lesional aspect of cranio-cerebral trauma, electro-clinical form of seizures and features of interictal EEG tracings.

A polygraphic study on resistance to habituation of the somatic, autonomic and EEG components of the orienting reaction elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus was performed in 29 patients with post-meningoencephalitic epilepsy and in 116 matched subjects in 3 control groups. The study showed a significantly higher resistance to habituation of the orienting reaction in patients with post-menigoencephalitic epilepsy than in control subjects. The degree of habituation disturbance depend on frequency, electro-clinical form and history of the seizures.