The EEG “spike” of the spike-and-wave complex corresponds to the depolarization of the neuronal membrane potential, also called a paroxysmal depolarizing shift (PDS). The spike-and-wave pattern seen during an absence seizure is the result of a bilateral synchronous firing of neurons ranging from the neocortex (part of the cerebral cortex) to the thalamus, along the thalamocortical network. Pathophysiology Ī drawing of the human brain showing the thalamus and cortex relative to other structures.

An intracellular recording performed by DA Pollen in 1964 revealed that the 'spike' aspect of the phenomenon was associated with neuronal firing and the 'wave' aspect was associated with hyperpolarization. Lennox provided a clear description of EEG spike-and-wave patterns during a petit mal epileptic seizure. Hans Berger published his findings in 1933, however his results did not give a definitive characterization of the general EEG pattern seen during an epileptic seizure. Among those tested were patients with epilepsy, dementia, and brain tumors. He continued to refine his technique and increase the sensitivity to the galvanometer, in which he accumulated many EEGs of individuals with and without a brain malfunction or disorder. His first recording of a human EEG was made in 1924 using a galvanometer, but his results were very crude and showed small, undefined oscillations. History of generalized epilepsy with absence seizures are dated to the eighteenth century, however the inventor of the electroencephalogram (EEG), Hans Berger, recorded the first EEG of an absence seizure in the 1920s, which led the way for the general notion of spike-and-wave electrophysiology. Although there are several theories, the use of animal models has provided new insight on spike-and-wave discharge in humans. One proposal suggests that a thalamocortical (TC) loop is involved in the initiation spike-and-wave oscillations. Today, most of the research is focused on the origin of the generalized bilateral spike-and-wave discharge. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are commonly prescribed to treat epileptic seizures, and new ones are being discovered with fewer adverse effects. The spike-and-wave pattern is most commonly researched in absence epilepsy, but is common in several epilepsies such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Ohtahara syndrome. Many aspects of the pattern are still being researched and discovered, and still many aspects are uncertain. The first spike-and-wave pattern was recorded in the early twentieth century by Hans Berger. The basic mechanisms underlying these patterns are complex and involve part of the cerebral cortex, the thalamocortical network, and intrinsic neuronal mechanisms. A spike-and-wave discharge is a regular, symmetrical, generalized EEG pattern seen particularly during absence epilepsy, also known as ‘petit mal’ epilepsy. Spike-and-wave is a pattern of the electroencephalogram (EEG) typically observed during epileptic seizures. EEG recording of generalized 3 Hz spike-and-wave discharges seen in a child during an absence seizure

Xl spike definition