Periodic EEG discharges are signs of severe CNS dysfunction. In psychiatry they usually indicate presenile dementia of the Jacob-Creutzfeldt type. Psychiatric patients are presented in whom the occurrence and EEG features of diffuse and lateralized periodic discharges are discussed. It appears that toxic conditions other than acute barbiturate intoxication, such as drug withdrawal states and psychotropic drug overdosage, represent important etiological factors for inducing periodic EEG discharges. Their relation to clinical signs such as epileptic symptoms, metabolic dysfunction, and disturbance of consciousness is particularly stressed and related to current literature data.
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