title: Usefulness of a morning routine EEG recording in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate if a standard awake EEG recording in the morning is superior to afternoon awake EEG session in detecting generalized epileptiform discharges (GEDs) in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group included 29 consecutive patients (23 women; mean age 22.3+/-6.3 years; age at onset of JME 15.4+/-3.4 years) with JME. Out of 29 patients 5 were untreated, 9 patients were treated with valproate, 8 with lamotrigine, 6 with levetiracetam and 1 patient with valproate plus phenobarbital. Two routine consecutive interictal EEG recordings were performed at 9a.m. and at 3p.m., respectively, while the subject was awake, on the same day after a a regular nocturnal sleep at own home.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The morning EEG recording showed GEDs (i.e., generalized polispike and waves, photoparoxysmal response, or both). in 20/29 patients. In 15 of these 20 patients, the afternoon recording was normal and this difference was statistically significant (p < or = 0.001). Moreover, there was a striking reduction of GEDs in three of the remaining five patients. Nine/29 patients had both morning and afternoon EEG recording normal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study have illustrated a significant greater rate of detection of generalized epileptiform abnormalities by performing standard awake EEG in the morning in comparison with an afternoon session.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Labate
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ambrosio
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gambardella
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sturniolo
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pucci
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quattrone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020190:Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012892:Sleep Deprivation
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants