Similarity of symptoms between transient epileptic amnesia and <scp>L</scp>ewy body disease

Abstract

Epilepsy with the main symptom of amnesia is known as transient epileptic amnesia ( TEA ). Dementia with L ewy bodies ( DLB ) is the second most common form of neurodegenerative dementia. The concept that L ewy body disease includes P arkinson's disease with dementia and dementia with L ewy bodies was proposed in the 2005 revision of the C linical D iagnostic C riteria. Here, we describe a woman with cognitive impairment, olfactory dysfunction, and reduced 123 I ‐meta‐iodobenzylguanidine uptake on myocardial scintigraphy. The patient and her family and friends were unaware of parkinsonism, visual hallucinations, or epilepsy for a long period. After syncope occurred twice within a short interval, electroencephalography revealed sharp waves from the bilateral frontal to parietal lobes, indicating a diagnosis of TEA . The present case prompted us to compare the symptoms of TEA with the clinical diagnostic criteria for dementia with L ewy bodies, revealing their similarities. We also discuss whether L ewy body disease may cause TEA rather than having an incidental association with it.