An electroencephalograph (EEG) of generalised seizure (absence seizure type)

Absence seizures affect the whole brain and produce abnormal electrical activity at the frontal, temporal and occipital sites. Absence seizures occur in children and are much less severe than the tonic-clonic seizure type. They are typified by a 3 second ‘spike and wave’ discharge where the patient has a brief moment of disorientation. Patients usually experience little or no motor disturbance.

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References

Antiepileptic drugs and centrally acting muscle relaxants. In: Pharmacology, 4^th edition. Rang HP, Dale MM and Ritter JM. Edinburgh, UK: Harcourt Publishers Ltd, 2001:566–578.