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      Epileptic seizures induced by animated cartoon, "Pocket Monster".

      Epilepsia
      Adolescent, Age Factors, Cartoons as Topic, Child, Color Perception, Epilepsies, Partial, epidemiology, etiology, Epilepsy, Epilepsy, Generalized, Female, Humans, Incidence, Japan, Male, Photic Stimulation, adverse effects, Questionnaires, Television, Visual Perception

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          Abstract

          A large number of children had fits while watching the animated cartoon television (TV) program "Pocket Monster." To elucidate the seizures associated with the TV program, we administered a questionnaire survey in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The questionnaires were sent to 75 hospitals located in and around Aichi prefecture. The presence of epileptic seizures and the types of seizures were determined by three pediatric neurologists. Sixty-one hospitals responded to the questionnaire survey. Among 95 patients living in Aichi prefecture for whom enough information on seizure manifestations and EEG was available, < or =93 patients were considered to have epileptic seizures while watching the TV program. Most seizures occurred at a scene in which red and blue frames alternated at 12 Hz. Sixty-nine (74%) patients had no history of epilepsy. Thirty-nine patients had generalized seizures, and 49 patients had partial seizures. Partial seizures occurred more frequently in the younger age group than did generalized seizures. The EEG revealed a photoparoxysmal response (PPR) in 43% of patients. PPR was present not only in patients with a history of epilepsy (54%) but also in those with no history of epilepsy (38%). Almost all seizures induced by the TV program "Pocket Monster" were epileptic, and partial seizures were induced more frequently than generalized seizures. The incidence of this "Pocket Monster"-induced seizures was roughly estimated as > or =1 in 4,923 individuals aged 6-18 years.

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          TV can be bad for your health.

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            Influence of color on the photoconvulsive response.

            Using the visual stimulator, the effect of color on the photoconvulsive response (PCR) was studied in 14 photosensitive patients. When stimuli of 15 c/sec flickers of white, red, yellow, green and blue light of 20 cd/m2 were given to the subjects, generalized PCRs were provoked only by the red-flicker. These PCRs were all inhibited by blue light of 1.9 cd/m2 when given either after the appearance of the PCRs or simultaneously with the red-flicker from the start. When blue light was given after the appearance of the PCRs the latency of appearance of the PCRs in response to the red-flicker showed an inverse relation to the disappearance latency of the PCR in response to the blue light. With blue light of 1 cd/m2, however, inhibition of the PCRs was seen in only 2 cases when it was given after the appearance of the PCR, and in only 1 case when the blue light was simultaneously given with the red-flicker from the start. These results clearly disclosed the following findings: (1) among various colored lights, an excitatory effect on generalized PCR was excitatory effect on generalized PCR was always seen only with red light at 15 c/sec and 20 cd/m2; (2) the PCRs provoked by the red-flicker were inhibited by blue light of 1.9 cd/m2, but not by blue light of 1 cd/m2.
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              Photosensitive temporal lobe epilepsy.

              Photic-induced seizures are usually generalized. There are several cases of focal seizures reported, and all have been shown to arise from the visual cortex. We report an unusual case of temporal lobe epilepsy, supported by electroclinical data and confirmed by a successful temporal lobectomy, with seizures induced by photic stimulation.
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