Analysis of background EEG activity in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze background EEG activity of patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) with and without antiepileptic drugs.


METHODS
We studied the background EEG activity in 18 patients with JME. The qEEG analysis included absolute power (AP), relative power (RP) and mean frequency (MF) of delta, theta, alpha and beta bands. The Z scores were calculated by comparison with population parameters based on the age-dependent regression function. Seven patients were unmedicated (UM) and eleven medicated (M).


RESULTS
The UM group presented 69 (4.32%) abnormal Z scores and 227 (9.05%) in the M group (P<0.001). In the UM group, AP delta abnormal Z scores were identified in frontotemporal and occipital leads. In AP alpha and beta bands an increase in Z scores was encountered in frontoparietal leads in three patients. In addition, in three patients, the AP theta Z scores were below -1.96 and distributed in all regions. In the M group, AP beta Z scores were above 1.96 in frontoparietal leads in 7 of 11 patients. The AP delta increased above 1.96 in frontotemporal and occipital leads in 6 patients of 11. The AP alpha showed an abnormal decrease in Z scores in 5 of 11 patients, whereas other 5 patients presented normal scores. The AP theta presented 7 normal Z scores out of 11; this band exhibited the lowest number of abnormalities of the 4.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with JME have an increase in AP delta, alpha and beta bands, which is more evident in frontoparietal regions.
Santiago-Rodríguez
Efraín
E
Unidad de Investigación en Neurodesarrollo Dr. Augusto Fernández Guardiola, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, Mexico. santiago@inb.unam.mx
Harmony
Thalía
T
Cárdenas-Morales
Lizbeth
L
Hernández
Adriana
A
Fernández-Bouzas
Antonio
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020190:Myoclonic Epilepsy, Juvenile / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis