Rationale:
The gold standard of diagnosing psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) is video electroencephalogram (vEEG). Before the modern development of the vEEG, there was a transitional period in history when our forefathers utilized photography to record seizure episodes. The use of photography was first introduced by Charcot in his study of epilepsy and related conditions. Charcot coined the term 'hystero-epilepsy' to refer to a condition in which people with "acquired" neuroses symptoms resembling seizures. He collaborated with photographer Londe to employ the use of images to capture hysteric seizure events. This photographic technique was later expanded by Muybridge and Marey who transformed photography into motion and introduced cinematography into neurology. Marey’s technique inspired many neurologists to incorporate cinematography into their study of hysteria and other neurological disorders. These cinematographic techniques were later used in WWI to document male hysteria in battle weathered soldiers. This historical note illustrates the progression of history from utilization of photography and cinematography to capture PNES, to the development of electroencephalography (EEG), the combination of cinematography and EEG for an early use of “vEEG,” and eventually the development of long-term monitoring vEEG.
Methods: N/A
Results: N/A
Conclusions:
Before the development of the video-electroencephalography (vEEG), neurologists relied on photographs and later cinematography to record hysteric patients. With the invention of the electroencephalography (EEG) by German psychiatrist Hans Berger in 1929, neurologists were able to capture electrical brain activities in hysteric-epilepsy patients. Schwab combined the use of film and EEG to create the first use of vEEG. Breckwell reported the first case of EEG telemetry using radio transmission in 1949. Ives improved the vEEG for long term monitoring purposes with the advancement of EEG telemetry and incorporation of CCTV. With the advent of the vEEG, neurologist have conducted larger video-EEG studies recording and analyzing PNES episodes. Of which various neurologists have attempted to classify PNES into subtypes. While all patients with PNES can be classified by twos schemes from Asadi-Pooya and Wadweker et al., there has yet to be a “universal” classification system for PNES. In modern times every smart phone is equipped with high resolution cameras that can serve as a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of functional neurological symptom disorder or other seizure-like episodes.
Funding: No funding was received in support of this abstract.