Rolandic spikes in children with and without epilepsy. (20 subjects polygraphically studied during sleep).

The authors polygraphically studied the nocturnal sleep of 20 neurologically normal children with typical centrotemporal spikes. The children were divided into two groups: (A) 10 children with centrotemporal spikes and benign epilepsy; and (B) 10 children with centrotemporal spikes without epilepsy. The mean age when the average period of sleep record was performed was the same for the two groups, 8.5 years. The cyclic organization of sleep and the percentages of the different stages were normal in all 20 subjects. The number of spikes was counted in all the subjects during wakefulness and during different stages of sleep. All subjects of both groups showed an important increase in the frequency of spikes going from drowsiness until slow sleep; on the other hand, the activity remained high during REM sleep only for subjects of Group A. Other differences between the two groups concerned the appearnce during sleep of generalized spike waves and independent Rolandic spikes. The authors conclude with the affirmation that the polygraphic study of nocturnal sleep in children with Rolandic spikes can be an additional parameter for differential diagnosis between children with and those without epilepsy.