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Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

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Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Manipulation of Epileptiform Electrocorticograms (ECoGs) and Sleep in Rats and Mice by Acupuncture

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The relationship between sleep and epilepsy.

Prakash Kotagal¹, Nandan Yardi

¹Pediatric Epilepsy Section, Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. kotagap@ccf.org

Seminars in Pediatric Neurology

|June 17, 2008

Summary

Nearly one-third of epilepsy patients experience seizures during sleep. Sleep and sleep deprivation significantly impact seizure occurrence and brain activity, highlighting a crucial link between sleep states and epilepsy management.

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Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy

Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy

Published on: December 6, 2016

Area of Science:

Epilepsy and Sleep Medicine
Clinical Neurophysiology
Neurology

Background:

Sleep state is closely linked to the pathophysiology of epileptic seizures.
Approximately one-third of patients with epilepsy experience seizures during sleep.
Sleep and sleep deprivation demonstrably influence epileptiform discharges and clinical seizure frequency.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the intricate relationship between sleep physiology and epileptic seizure occurrence.
To examine how sleep influences seizure semiology and control.
To understand the bidirectional impact of epilepsy treatments on sleep and cognitive function.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on sleep and epilepsy.
Analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) data correlating sleep stages with epileptiform discharges.
Clinical observation of seizure semiology in relation to sleep and sleep deprivation.

Main Results:

Epileptiform activity and clinical seizures predominantly occur during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.
Specific syndromes like continuous spikes in slow-wave sleep and Landau-Kleffner syndrome exemplify the NREM sleep-epileptiform activity link.
Sleep disorders can negatively impact seizure control, while their treatment can improve it.

Conclusions:

The sleep state profoundly affects epilepsy, influencing seizure occurrence, characteristics, and control.
Effective management of sleep disorders is essential for optimizing seizure control in patients with epilepsy.
Epilepsy, its treatments (including antiepileptic drugs, ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation), and seizures themselves impact sleep quality and neurocognitive function.