Interictal EEG as a physiological adaptation. Part I. Composition of brain oscillations in interictal EEG

Objective In the present experimental study, we examined the compositions of brain oscillations and their temporal behavior in broad frequency band (0.5–30 Hz) in interictal EEG without epileptiform abnormalities during generalized epilepsy in resting conditions. Methods The exact compositions of brain oscillations and their percent ratio were assessed by a probability-classification analysis of short-term EEG spectral patterns (SPs), which reveals temporal dynamics of these SPs and results in the probability-classification profile. Results It has been demonstrated that the interictal EEG was characterized by (a) a shift towards higher frequencies in all observed brain oscillations, (b) an increased amount of polyrhythmic activity, (c) a decrease in SP types diversity, (d) a decreased relative incidence of the SP type change in the transition between neighboring EEG epochs of the same EEG, and (e) an increased temporal stabilization periods of polyrhythmic activity. All these were observed in distributed brain areas. Conclusions It was suggested that these findings reflect a disorganization of neurodynamics in the epileptic brain. At the same time, the fact that all these indices were significantly different from surrogate EEG reflects a non-occasional and thus, most likely, an adaptive nature of the microstructural reorganization of interictal EEG. Significance Parameters of interictal EEG without the signs of epileptiform activity can be considered as additional information in premorbid diagnostics of epistatus.