[Activities in the alpha band in unresponsive patients (author's transl)]

Activities in the alpha band are to be encountered in unresponsive patients. A review is given over the different conditions. Patients suffering from pontine lesions mostly are not comatose but locked-in. Alpha activities with intoxications and with comatose states due to transtentorial herniation can be distinguished by the accompanying neurological signs. In severe metabolic coma alpha activities are to be observed as an epileptic phenomenon. Monorhythmical alpha activities with hypoxic coma are not accompanied by slow waves, succeed a burst suppression pattern and are an ominous prognostic sign.