Definition
Ictal phenomena are the expressions of a paroxysmal disorder during the height of an attack. An ictus (Latin for stroke) can refer to the sudden attack seen in epilepsy, cerebrovascular accidents (CNS stroke), sunstroke, migraine, or apoplexy (a sudden rush of blood – formerly used in reference to CNS stroke). It is a word denoting the peak in a temporal continuum of one of these disorders. It is best used in neurology and neuropsychology when referring to migraine or epilepsy. The temporal course of a sudden attack of migraine or epilepsy can include a prodrome, aura, ictus, postictal state, and inter-ictal state. A prodrome can be a premonitory symptom preceding the attack by hours or even days. An aura (aura) immediately precedes an ictal event by seconds or minutes. The ictus is the attack itself, and the postictal state refers to signs and symptoms immediately following the ictus. The inter-ictal state is the asymptomatic baseline of the individual, although in...
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Perrine, K.R. (2018). Ictal Phenomena. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1045
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