VALPROATE LOWERED THE AMPLITUDE OF VISUAL AND SOMATOSENSORY-EVOKED POTENTIALS IN 2 CASES OF UNTREATED JUVENILE MYOCLONIC EPILEPSY

The amplitude of flash visual evoked potential (F-VEP) and somatosenso ry evoked potential (SEP) was found to be initially slightly higher in two untreated patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), Patien ts were studied before and after complete control of seizures with val proate. In both patients valproate prolonged the latencies of the wave s IV and V and lowered the amplitudes of waves V and VI of the F-VEP. The N20-P25 amplitude in SEP in both patients was also lowered by valp roate. These results may suggest that slightly higher cortical excitab ility in untreated JME was controlled by valproate.