Indications apportées par l'étude du sommeil de nuit sur le complexe EEG de la leucoencéphalite subaiguë

Abstract

Polygraphic recording of night sleep in three cases of subacute sclerosing leucoencephalitis (SSLE) of different ages and with different evolutions has shown: 1. 1.Persistence of the periodic complexes during the different stages of sleep, including REM. A slight increase in frequency occurs during the first part of the night. 2. 2.The changes in the form of the periodic complexes as a function of each stage. In slow sleep during stages AB and C the complexes are followed by an inconstant and generalized activation of the EEG in the form of bursts of slow waves or spindles grouped around the complexes. During REM sleep the activation is constant and localized. The cortical regions involved vary for each case. From the results of the study of night sleep the relationship of the SSLE complex with the K complex is rejected and that of the complex with myoclonus seems unlikely. The absence of change in the periodicity of the SSLE complex during the different stages of waking, slow sleep and fast sleep is not in favour of a relationship between the complex and the subcortical synchronizing systems. The persistence of the complexes during REM sleep and the cortical activation seen during this period point to the possibility of a cortical mechanism at the origin of the SSLE complex.