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Mar. 28th, 2004 04:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsycheSlow brainwaves 'cause seizures'
Doctors have known for many years that sleep can trigger epileptic seizures. However, they have been unable to explain exactly why this happens.
Previous studies have suggested it may be linked to very slow electrical activity in the brain.
However, scientists have been unable to confirm this theory, largely because they were unable to detect very slow brain waves using conventional machines.
But now scientists at the University of Helsinki and the University of Washington have developed a highly sensitive electroencephalography (EEG) machine to pick up these waves.
They carried out tests on each of the 16 volunteers while they were asleep over the course of nine days.
They found that brain activity slowed considerably in those with epilepsy. But they also found that this was quickly followed by sharp bursts in brain activity.
These sharp bursts, which are known as interictal epileptic events, are a characteristic of epilepsy.
The scientists said further research is needed to examine this link.
Doctors have known for many years that sleep can trigger epileptic seizures. However, they have been unable to explain exactly why this happens.
Previous studies have suggested it may be linked to very slow electrical activity in the brain.
However, scientists have been unable to confirm this theory, largely because they were unable to detect very slow brain waves using conventional machines.
But now scientists at the University of Helsinki and the University of Washington have developed a highly sensitive electroencephalography (EEG) machine to pick up these waves.
They carried out tests on each of the 16 volunteers while they were asleep over the course of nine days.
They found that brain activity slowed considerably in those with epilepsy. But they also found that this was quickly followed by sharp bursts in brain activity.
These sharp bursts, which are known as interictal epileptic events, are a characteristic of epilepsy.
The scientists said further research is needed to examine this link.