The correlation of interictal epileptiform discharges in non-rem sleep and during functional tests in periods before falling asleep and after awakening in adults with idiopathic generalized epilepsy with a variable phenotype

Registered interictal epileptiform discharges in adults with idiopathic generalized epilepsy with variable phenotype (261 people) during standard functional tests (hyperventilation and intermittent photic stimulation) before falling asleep, after awakening and during non-REM sleep. When detecting interictal epileptiform discharges during non-REM sleep, patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy were more likely to have interictal epileptiform discharges recorded during photostimulation and hyperventilation in both periods (after awakening and before falling asleep), which may be due to the pathophysiological features of this subtype of the idiopathic generalized epilepsy with a variable phenotype. When detecting interictal epileptiform discharges during non- REM sleep, patients with juvenile absence epilepsy with absences and generalized tonic-clonic seizures were more likely to have interictal epileptiform discharges recorded during hyperventilation in both periods (after awakening and before falling asleep). In patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy with isolated generalized tonic-clonic seizures the relationship between the recording of interictal epileptiform discharges in non-REM sleep and during functional tests was not detected. The obtained data demonstrate the features of interictal epileptiform discharges distribution in sleep and wake periods with idiopathic generalized epilepsy with a variable phenotype in adults and can be used in the extended Electroencephalography monitoring to refine the idiopathic generalized epilepsy subtype and evaluate the effectiveness of antiepileptic therapy.