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Electroencephalographic spiking activity, drug levels, and seizure occurence in epileptic patients
Author(s) -
Gotman J.,
Marciani M. G.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410170612
Subject(s) - ictal , wakefulness , epilepsy , electroencephalography , neuroscience , anesthesia , medicine , psychology
We investigated the relationship among the electroencephalographic spiking rate, drug levels, and seizure occurence in 44 patients with focal epilepsy. Seizure occurence was continuously monitored by personnel or videorecording and spiking rate quantified by an atuomatic detection method. Results indicate that drug levels do not influence spiking rate, and spiking rate does not change before seizures but increases markedly after them, particularly secondarily generalized seizures. This increase can last several days and is observed during wakefulness and sleep. High or low spiking rates do not influence the occurence of seizures. We suggest that interictal spikes may passively reflect damage to the brain, a damage which worsened by further seizures. Spikes may not be directly related to seizure generation.