Periodic lateralized discharges in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: serial electroencephalographic studies

Serial EEG recordings in 12 cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were analyzed. Focal abnormalities, consisting of unspecific slowing of the rhythm or periodic lateralized discharges (PLD), were observed in 50% of cases in the prodromal stage. As the disease progressed, conversion of unspecific focal alterations into PLD and of these into generalized periodic patterns was seen. This evolution and the correlation between PLD and focal epileptic phenomena suggest that the discharges are cortical in nature.