Lesion responsible for rare seizure disorder identified

In some individuals with seizure disorder (epilepsy), the seizures occur in response to a specific stimulus. This is called reflex epilepsy, and it is rare, occurring in less than 1% of people who have epilepsy. Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia studied three individuals with reflex epilepsy whose seizures occurred when they brushed their teeth. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that all 3 individuals had identical lesions in an area of the brain (the primary somatosensory cortex) that is near the areas that control the hands and speech. The research was published in the March 6, 2007, issue of Neurology.