[Genetic basis of beta patterns of the EEG in the adult]

Stable EEG-characteristics of a normal healthy person can be subdivided into posterior basic rhythms and normal variants. Posterior basic rhythms are: alpha type, theta type, occipital beta type and diffuse beta type. Normal variants--accessory characteristics without pathological significance--are: occipital theta variant, mu waves, beta bursts over the frontal areas, lambda and sleep lambda waves as well as subvigil beta bursts. It has been proven that posterior basic rhythms as well as normal variants--the latter only to some extent Both types of posterior beta rhythm show a high correlation with low voltage and are inherited in a simple autosomal dominant mode. Both types of frontal beta bursts are rare normal variants, and show characteristics which can be easily distinguished from each other. Type 1 is inherited in a simple autosomal dominant mode whereas type 2 is inherited in a simple dominant mode. Subvigil beta bursts are found in 10% of the population as a stable characteristic during light NREM and during REM sleep. A sleep dominant mode of inheritance--although quite likely--has not yet been proven even though this characteristic shows a marked individual stability.