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The History of Photic Sensitivity in Epilepsy

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The Importance of Photosensitivity for Epilepsy

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Abstract

The fact that visual stimulation, especially bright light, can trigger epileptic seizures was recognized in antiquity. The modern study of the clinical correlates of photic sensitivity in epilepsy started in the nineteenth century, and its neurophysiological correlates and mechanisms before the middle of the twentieth century. Modern civilization provides many photic stressors, and epileptologists are still confronted with the many aspects of photic sensitivity across the various forms and etiologies of epilepsy. This review will highlight the evolution of ideas and knowledge of visual triggered seizures over time and in different parts of the world.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre Saint Paul – Hôpital Henri Gastaut, Marseille, France

    Pierre Genton & Michelle Bureau

  2. Department of Neurosurgery and Epilepsy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Dorothee Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite

  3. Nesmos Department, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Dorothee Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite

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  1. Pierre Genton
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  2. Michelle Bureau
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  3. Dorothee Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite
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Correspondence to Pierre Genton .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery and Epilepsy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Dorothee Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite

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Genton, P., Bureau, M., Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite, D. (2021). The History of Photic Sensitivity in Epilepsy. In: Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenite, D. (eds) The Importance of Photosensitivity for Epilepsy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05080-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05080-5_3

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-05080-5

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