title: Electroencephalography findings in healthy and Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy: visual and background quantitative analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Qualitative and quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) parameters of healthy and Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy have not been determined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine if EEG can provide specific characteristics to distinguish between healthy dogs and dogs with epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen healthy and 15 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective clinical EEG study performed under medetomidine sedation. Blinded visual and quantitative EEG analyses were performed and results were compared between study groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Benign epileptiform transients of sleep and sleep spindles were a frequent finding in a majority of animals from both groups. The EEG analysis detected epileptiform activity in 3 Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy and in 1 healthy Finnish Spitz dog. Epileptiform activity was characterized by spikes, polyspikes, and spike slow wave complexes in posterior-occipital derivation in dogs with epilepsy and with midline spikes in control dog. The healthy dogs showed significantly less theta and beta activity than did the dogs with epilepsy (P < .01), but the only significant difference between healthy dogs and dogs with untreated epilepsy was in the alpha band (P < .001). Phenobarbital treatment increased alpha, beta (P < .001), and theta (P < .01), and decreased delta (P < .001) frequency bands compared with dogs with untreated epilepsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Benign epileptiform transients of sleep could be easily misinterpreted as epileptiform activity. Epileptiform activity in Finnish Spitz dogs with epilepsy seems to originate from a posterior-occipital location. The EEG of dogs with epilepsy exhibited a significant difference in background frequency bands compared with the control dogs. Phenobarbital treatment markedly influenced all background activity bands. Quantitative EEG analysis, in addition to visual analysis, seems to be a useful tool in the examination of patients with epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. janis.jeserevics@aisti.info
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeserevics
authors.forename: Ranno
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Viitmaa
authors.forename: Sigitas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cizinauskas
authors.forename: Kimmo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sainio
authors.forename: Tarja S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Jokinen
authors.forename: Marjatta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Snellman
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellino
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bergamasco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000662:veterinary*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male