Sleep and pediatric epilepsy

Characteristic of the intimate relationship between sleep and epilepsy are an increase in IEA in nonREM sleep and a decrease in REM sleep, in both generalized and partial epilepsies. The morphology of epileptiform discharges may also be affected by sleep, with a change or breakdown of the generalized pattern in generalized epilepsy, but a better definition of sharp waves in partial epilepsy, during nonREM sleep. One notes a predilection for certain types of epilepsy to occur in sleep, such as benign focal epilepsy of childhood, or to occur shortly after awakening (juvenile myoclonic epilepsy). Epilepsy may disrupt the sleep architecture with an increase in light sleep and a decrease in deep sleep, and an increase in awake time after sleep onset. Sleep is an important activator of IEA and is of value both in the routine EEG evaluation of epilepsy as well as in more prolonged studies used in epilepsy monitoring units.