Magnetoencephalography Correlate of EEG POSTS (Positive Occipital Sharp Transients of Sleep)

Purpose: In contrast to EEG, which has guidelines for interpretation and a plethora of textbooks, the full range of activity seen in magnetoencephalography (MEG) has not been fleshed out. Currently, magnetoencephalographers apply criteria for EEG waveforms to MEG signals based on an assumption that MEG activity should have morphology that is similar to EEG. The purpose of this article was to show the characteristic MEG profile of positive occipital sharp transients of sleep. Methods: Simultaneous MEG–EEG recordings of two cases are shown. Results: In both the cases, the morphologic features of positive occipital sharp transients of sleep in MEG vary and sometimes mimic epileptic spikes. Conclusion: This report raises a caution that a normal variant may have an even more epileptic appearance on MEG than on EEG. Using the simultaneously recorded EEG to avoid misinterpretation of spikey-looking positive occipital sharp transients of sleep in MEG is a natural and prudent practice.

[1]  William O Tatum,et al.  Overintepretation of EEGs and Misdiagnosis of Epilepsy , 2003, Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society.

[2]  John S Ebersole,et al.  American Clinical Magnetoencephalography Society Clinical Practice Guideline 1: Recording and Analysis of Spontaneous Cerebral Activity* , 2011, Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society.

[3]  C. Binnie,et al.  A glossary of terms most commonly used by clinical electroencephalographers. , 1974, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[4]  John S Ebersole,et al.  Combining MEG and EEG Source Modeling in Epilepsy Evaluations , 2010, Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society.

[5]  H. Lüders,et al.  Detection of Epileptiform Activity by Human Interpreters: Blinded Comparison between Electroencephalography and Magnetoencephalography , 2005, Epilepsia.