[Circadian phenomena in petit mal epilepsy].

In 30 patients with petit mal-epilepsy 37 telemetric and allnight polygraphic recordings were registered. The electrical paroxysms have been according to their morphological characteristics and to the background activity into the following groups distributed: regular 3/s spike and wave paroxysms usually of 10-20 s duration, appearing in a normal background activity (10 patients-13 records). 2-4/s polyspike and wave patterns of 10-20 s duration, appearing in a disorganized, slow background activity (8 patients-10 records), short paroxysms of 1-4 s duration, appearing, as a rule, in a normal background activity (12 patients-14 records). The clinical seizures and their electrical patterns eventually accompanying the absences were also characterized. During the petit mal paroxysms the degree of the disturbance of consciousness exhibited a large scale variation. There are considerable intra-, but also inter-individual differences. The sometimes very slight biological changes, occurring in connection with the electrical paroxysms, can be exactly measured by psychophysiological tests, thus the precise clinical registration of the absences is possible. The "hypersynchron alpha-state" produces the significant increase of the petit mal paroxysms in comparison with the paroxysm value of the telemetric record of wakefulness (p less than 0,01). According to our results, the petit mal paroxysms in REM do not show a significant reduction in comparison with the waking period. In cases of petit mal epilepsy in the different vigilance levels one may distinguish in the cerebral electrical activity stable "non-epileptogenic" and unstable "epileptogenic" epochs changing each other under the influence of the ultradian regulatory mechanisms.