Epileptic Equivalent

Epileptic equivalents are a symptom complex of mental disorders that primarily has vegetative and somatic characteristics in the absence or deficiency of a cognitive defect [1]. Epileptiform equivalents are characterized by acute, short-lived attacks of brain activity and autonomic reactions, usually in the form of ataxia, dizziness, adynamia, breathing or palpitations, nausea, and vomiting. They are tied to the moment of the onset of an epileptic attack and can be at any stage of the development of paroxysm, but most often the symptom begins with the appearance and ends with fainting. The duration of the equivalent varies from several seconds to several minutes. Their appearance always coincides with convulsive seizures, regardless of their duration and type of seizures (major and minor) [2].

Mental equivalent paroxysms can manifest themselves as manic (delirium, psychomotor agitation), depressive (apathy, delusional state), apathetic, dysphoric, hallucinatory-paranoid states. Short-term affective equivalents, appearing periodically, are characteristic of the generalized form of epilepsy, the chronic course of paranoid and cyclothymic forms, post-traumatic epilepsy with rare manifestations of epileptic seizures [3].

Epileptic equivalence is a temporary structural, functional, or reorganizational change in the brain that can be considered a precursor to a generalized seizure and cause a panic reaction. It is accompanied by brain activation and desynchronization of neuronal activity. This phenomenon is confirmed by studies of excitotoxic drugs and metabolic disorders following inflammatory changes in brain neurons [4].

Most articles are devoted to various forms of epilepsy. The most popular evidence showing an important link between epilepsy and mental disorders includes factors associated with decreased neuronal function, loss of