[Giant evoked potentials].
BACKGROUND
There are many, diverse nosological entities with the common factor of the genesis of cortical evoked potentials of great amplitude, commonly known as giant evoked potentials. In most cases they are conditions with the common clinical condition of myoclonic of cortical origin, such as progressive myoclonic epilepsy, generalized idiopathic epilepsy, myoclonias of toxic, infectious or postanoxic origin. Giant potentials have been shown both in studies of focal hemisphere lesions and in some cases of patients with corticobasal degeneration.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this paper was to show, by presenting interesting cases, some of the conditions mentioned and to review some concepts concerning the mechanisms which may be involved in the production of these electrophysiological responses.


METHODS
We studied 6 patients aged between 2 and 22 years, in whom multimodal evoked potentials, electroencephalograms and imaging studies had been done.


RESULTS
Giant somatosensory potentials were shown in the patients with obvious myoclonia. Visual potentials of great amplitude were common to the other patients presented, with or without myoclonia.


CONCLUSIONS
Giant evoked potentials respond to a state of cortical hyperexcitability which may have various causes.
Baez Martín
M M
MM
Laboratorio de Neurofisiología Clínica; Centro Internacional de Restauración Neurológica (CIREN), La Habana, 11300, Cuba. mariajo@infomed.sld.cu
Gómez Fernández
L
L
Cabrera Abreu
I
I
Alvarez González
L
L
Araujo
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009207:Myoclonus / Q000503:physiopathology*
Potenciales evocados gigantes.