Source analysis of generalized spike-wave complexes

Dipole source analysis was carried out in three adults and four children with 3 c/s generalized spike-wave (SW) discharges and absence seizures. Eighty-seven SW complexes were investigated. When one regional source was used the equivalent location was always near the baso-frontal area close to the midline. It explained on the average 89% of the variance in the adults and 82% in the children. When two regional sources were used and initially constrained for symmetry, the residual variance (RV) was reduced to 7% in the adults and 9% in the children. The sources remained in the frontal areas and were on the average 2 cm from the midline. When the mirror source was freed it remained contralateral in 76% of the complexes but moved ipsilaterally to various locations in the rest. To reduce the RV to between 2 and 3% one or two additional regional sources were required. These were located in the temporal or parietal areas in the adults and occasionally one occipital region in the children. The study showed that widespread and repetitive EEG events, like the generalized SW, can lend themselves to spatio-temporal multiple dipole modeling. More precise anatomic correlates may become possible with an expanded electrode array and the verification of their locations against the patient's MRI scan.