What do spikes mean on an EEG?

Spikes or sharp waves are terms commonly seen in EEG reports. If these happen only once in a while or at certain times of day, they may not mean anything. If they happen frequently or are found in specific areas of the brain, it could mean there is potentially an area of seizure activity nearby.

What is the duration of a spike in EEG?

Spikes and sharp waves are two types of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) that are well‐recognized hallmarks of epilepsy [1]. The difference between the two is their duration: the duration of a spike is less than 70 ms whereas that of a sharp wave is between 70 and 200 ms.

What is spike-and-wave in EEG?

Spike-and-wave is a pattern of the electroencephalogram (EEG) typically observed during epileptic seizures. A spike-and-wave discharge is a regular, symmetrical, generalized EEG pattern seen particularly during absence epilepsy, also known as ‘petit mal’ epilepsy.

What does 3 Hz spike-and-wave mean?

The following patterns of interictal epileptiform discharges may be seen: 3 Hz and spike-wave: These are typical for absence seizures but can also occur in other types of generalized seizures. The waking background EEG activity is normal.

What is a Persyst Spike?

Persyst Spike Detection uses a set of advanced neural networks to monitor the background, the presence or absence of artifacts, the waveform shapes, and the field. … Persyst Spike Review automatically summarizes the large number of detections that can occur in a long-term recording.

What is a Persyst seizure?

The Persyst Seizure Detector neural network uses a wide range of inputs from the EEG in order to determine the probability that the data in a particular segment represents an electrographic seizure. These inputs include the background activity, Artifact Reduction, Rhythmicity, Amplitude, Symmetry, and many more.

Does an abnormal EEG always mean epilepsy?

Many patients with epilepsy have a normal EEG between attacks. An abnormal EEG means I have epilepsy. Many people without seizures have mild abnormalities on EEG. Epilepsy is a clinical diagnosis, that is, made on the basis of history and examination.

Can epilepsy be cured?

Sadly, there is no cure for epilepsy. There are, however, many treatments and therapies available to help patients with epilepsy become seizure-free, including medication, anti-seizure devices, and surgery.

What percentage of epilepsy is genetic?

About 30 to 40 percent of epilepsy is caused by genetic predisposition. First-degree relatives of people with inherited epilepsy have a two- to four-fold increased risk for epilepsy.

What are Centrotemporal spikes?

Centrotemporal spikes refers to the part of the brain where the focal seizures associated with this syndrome occur, which controls movement. ‘Benign’ refers to the fact that children usually develop normally and that seizures usually cease spontaneously by puberty.

How do you know if your EEG is abnormal?

The electrical impulses in an EEG recording look like wavy lines with peaks and valleys. These lines allow doctors to quickly assess whether there are abnormal patterns. Any irregularities may be a sign of seizures or other brain disorders.

What is LGS syndrome?

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a type of epilepsy. Patients with LGS experience many different types of seizures including: Tonic – stiffening of the body. Atonic – temporary loss of muscle tone and consciousness, causing the patient to fall.

What would an abnormal EEG mean?

Abnormal results on an EEG test may be due to: Abnormal bleeding (hemorrhage) An abnormal structure in the brain (such as a brain tumor) Tissue death due to a blockage in blood flow (cerebral infarction) Drug or alcohol abuse.

What does a mildly abnormal EEG mean?

An abnormal EEG means that there is a problem in an area of brain activity. This can offer a clue in diagnosing various neurological conditions.

What type of seizure is status epilepticus?

A seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes, or having more than 1 seizure within a 5 minutes period, without returning to a normal level of consciousness between episodes is called status epilepticus. This is a medical emergency that may lead to permanent brain damage or death.

What does an EEG look like during a seizure?

Your doctor may refer to these waves as epileptiform abnormalities or epilepsy waves. They can look like spikes, sharp waves, and spike-and-wave discharges.

How is a seizure detected?

Seizures can be detected by monitoring the brain and muscle activities, heart rate, oxygen level, artificial sounds, or visual signatures through EEG, EMG, ECG, motion, or audio/video recording on the human head and body.

Where do you get an EEG done?

An EEG can be done in the doctor’s office, a lab, or a hospital. Your child will be asked to lie on a bed or sit in a chair. The EEG technician will attach electrodes to different locations on the scalp using adhesive paste.

Can you have an abnormal EEG and not have seizures?

To complicate this further, some people have ‘abnormal’ EEGs but do not have epilepsy. Also, many people who do have epilepsy will only have ‘abnormal’ activity on the EEG if they have a seizure at the time the test is happening.

Can an EEG show past seizure activity?

An EEG can usually show if you are having a seizure at the time of the test, but it can’t show what happens to your brain at any other time. So even though your test results might not show any unusual activity it does not rule out having epilepsy.

Do non epileptic seizures show up on EEG?

A routine 20-minute electroencephalogram (EEG) often is helpful in diagnosing epilepsy because it can detect the abnormal electrical discharges in the brain that indicate epilepsy. However, a negative EEG test by itself is not enough to establish a diagnosis of non-epileptic seizures.

What is the difference between seizure disorder and epilepsy?

Seizures are individual occurrences of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. There are many causes of seizures, including singular events like a medication reaction. Epilepsy, on the other hand, is a chronic neurologic disorder that causes repeated seizure activity.

What does it mean if EEG shows no activity?

Medical professionals have long accepted that a flat line EEG indicates an irreversible coma, one of the most serious types of comas. Furthermore, a flat line EEG is often an indication that the brain is no longer alive.

What is the best vitamin for epilepsy?

Nutrients that may reduce seizure frequency include vitamin B6, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese, taurine, dimethylglycine, and omega-3 fatty acids. Administration of thiamine may improve cognitive function in patients with epilepsy.

What triggers epilepsy?

Here are some of the seizure triggers that have been reported by people with epilepsy:

What food should epileptics avoid?

white bread; non-wholegrain cereals; biscuits and cakes; honey; high-sugar drinks and foods; fruit juices; chips; mashed potatoes; parsnips; dates and watermelon. In general, processed or overcooked foods and over-ripe fruits.

Are you born with epilepsy or does it develop?

Epilepsy and seizures can develop in any person at any age. Seizures and epilepsy are more common in young children and older people. About 1 in 100 people in the U.S. has had a single unprovoked seizure or has been diagnosed with epilepsy. 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy in their lifetime.

Can epilepsy be caused by stress?

Stress can sometimes contribute to people developing epilepsy in the first place. This is more likely if your stress is severe, lasts a long time, or has affected you very early in life. In very young children, stress affects the development of the brain.

At what age does epilepsy usually start?

They can cause a wide range of symptoms. Epilepsy can start at any age, but usually starts either in childhood or in people over 60.