Abstract
Atonic seizures are not infrequent, and are one of the more dramatic seizure types. As the name implies, they are an almost instantaneous loss of muscle tone, which results in a rapid fall if the patient is standing. Less dramatic phenotypes are a dropping head, or slumping forward of the body. The loss of muscle tone can be without any preceding or concomitant myotonic or tonic events. Falling seizures, or drop attacks are a heterogeneous group of seizures with atonic seizures as a feature, but also with other phenotypic expression. The Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a seizure disorder in which atonic seizures are a feature.
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McCandless, D.W. (2012). Atonic Seizures. In: Epilepsy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0361-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0361-6_8
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