Is Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy Preceded by a Psychiatric Prodrome?

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) includes the syndromes juvenile absence epilepsy, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and epilepsy with only generalized tonic-clonic seizures. These syndromes share genetic and clinical features (e.g., cognitive deficits, impulsivity, and personality and psychiatric disorders). IGE patients have a higher rate of psychiatric comorbidities than controls. However, it is unclear whether these comorbidities are prodromal for IGE or sequelae. To clarify the sequence of this association, researchers studied two mutually exclusive IGE patient cohorts diagnosed over the same 13-year period: one based on ICD-10 code identification in a national registry and the other from a tertiary epilepsy center. Each IGE case was c…