Temporal slow waves and cerebrovascular diseases.

Sporadic temporal slow waves are considered to be associated with mild cerebrovascular dysfunction. However, electroencephalogram (EEG) changes have not been consistently described by some investigators and correlations inferred on the basis of such data remain inconclusive. In the present study, we examined previously defined temporal slow waves in patients in relation to incidence of cerebrovascular disease. A total of 512 EEG were analyzed during a 1 year period at our laboratory and 74 reference EEG from healthy volunteers were all examined as to the presence of temporal low-voltage irregular delta wave (TLID), temporal minor slow and sharp activity (TMSSA) or bursts of rhythmical temporal theta (BORTT). The patterns were assessed in relation to clinical histories of patients and controls. There were similarities in clinical correlations for the three EEG changes including associations with mild cerebrovascular diseases and with aging. In addition these temporal EEG findings shared electrographic features and showed left side predominance as well as correlating with each other. Since TLID, TMSSA and BORTT have many clinical and electrographical similarities, we consider that these findings should be grouped into one EEG entity which appears in association with mild cerebrovascular dysfunction.

EEG findings in diabetic patients with and without retinopathy.

OBJECTIVES: We showed previously that temporal low-voltage irregular delta waves (TLID) on EEG are indicative of cerebrovascular dysfunction in its early stages. The present study was designed to determine whether the incidence of this finding is elevated in diabetics as compared to normal controls. METHODS: EEGs of 50 diabetics and 50 normal controls were examined. Relationships of blood sugar levels, levels of HbA1C and stages of diabetic retinopathy to TLID were also examined. RESULTS: TLID was found in 56% of EEGs of the diabetics and in 14% of EEGs of the controls (P < 0.0001). The occurrence of TLID was also associated with the presence of diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the incidence of cerebrovascular dysfunction is elevated in diabetics. Since TLID was associated with diabetic retinopathy, it seems possible that the TLID detected in diabetics might reflect certain functional changes induced by microangiopathy of the brain.

Electroencephalographic findings in patients with DSM-IV mood disorder, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders.

BACKGROUND: Although numerous electroencephalographic (EEG) studies have been performed in psychiatric populations, and some have identified specific abnormalities within groups of functional psychoses, differences in EEG findings among subgroups of functional mental illness need to be evaluated with careful consideration of the nosologic systems employed in each study. In the present study, we examined whether there might be EEG differences among subgroups of functional psychoses defined by DSM-IV. METHODS: A total of 143 patients, whose discharge diagnoses met the DSM-IV criteria for mood disorder, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders, were studied. EEG findings were compared among seven diagnostic categories: mood disorder without, with mood-congruent, and with mood-incongruent psychotic features; schizoaffective disorder; schizophreniform disorder; brief psychotic disorder; and schizophrenia. RESULTS: The frequency of epileptiform variants, including the phantom spike and wave, positive spikes, and small sharp spikes, was significantly higher among patients with mood-incongruent psychotic mood disorder (33%), schizoaffective disorder (33%), and schizophreniform disorder (30%), as compared with patients with nonpsychotic mood disorder (3.2%) and schizophrenia (0%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results imply that patients with "atypical" psychoses that are located between typical mood disorder and schizophrenia have similar biological vulnerability, represented by epileptiform EEG variants.