Is the “Psychomotor Variant” — “Rhythmic Mid-Temporal Discharge” an Ictal Pattern?

Eleven patients with psychomotor variant”-“rhythmic mid temporal discharges” (PV-RMTD) were investigated to obtain evidence on whether or not the discharge may be an ictal pattern. The responsiveness of the patients was determined by measuring the incidence of response and also the latency of the patient responding manually to a light-flash during resting wakefulness, hyperventilation and drowsiness both during PV-RMTD and during the absence of these discharges. Six patients showed a statistically significant increase in latency of response during PV-RMTD, and four showed a significant decreased incidence in the ability to respond at all during the burst. Two patients with lengthy discharges during wakefulness reported a clinical change during the bursts: a floating feeling and a heaviness in the head. The conclusion of this study is that these data constitute evidence for the possible ictal character of the PV-RMTD.