Clinical features of the postictal state: correlation with seizure variables

The postictal period is defined by changes in behavior, motor function, and neuropsychological performance that last until the return to a presumed baseline. The postictal period has not received as much attention as the time of seizure onset or the seizure itself. It may offer information that could be helpful in the definition of the epileptogenic zone and its lateralization. Here we review different behavioral, neuropsychological, and EEG phenomena of the postictal state and discuss several semiological features of the postictal period with respect to patient characteristics, seizure duration, influences of drug treatment, and secondary generalization. Further evaluation may reveal information that could be helpful particularly with respect to resective epilepsy surgery, possibly allowing better localization and lateralization.