Sleep, arousal and electroclinical manifestations of generalized epilepsy with spike wave pattern.

Polygraphic sleep investigations have shown that, in patients with generalized epilepsy and spike wave patterns, ictal electroclinical manifestations occur in intermediate periods between waking state-NREM sleep and NREM sleep-REM sleep. These physiological microfluctuations represent an important dynamic principle. These minor fluctuations are detectable with a special method of microanalysis of sleep. Such a microanalysis shows that the attacks of patients with generalized spike wave patterns are linked with arousal reactions. This may result in prolonged intermediate states causing augmentation of the paroxysms and thus representing a vicious circle.