Interictal epileptiform discharges show distinct spatiotemporal and morphological patterns across wake and sleep

Presurgical evaluation of mesial temporal and neocortical focal pharmacoresistant epilepsy patients using intracranial EEG recordings has led to the generation of extensive data on interictal epileptiform discharges, located within or remotely from seizure onset zones. In this study, we used this data to investigate how interictal epileptiform discharges are modulated and how their spatial distribution changes during wake and sleep and analysed the relationship between these discharge events and seizure onset zones. Preoperative evaluation data from 11 adult patients with focal pharmacoresistant epilepsy were extracted from the Epilepsiae database. Interictal epileptiform discharges were automatically detected during wakefulness and over several hours of continuous seizure-free sleep (total duration of EEG recordings:106.7 h; mean per patient: 9.7 h), and analysed across four brain areas (mesial temporal, lateral neocortical, basal cortical and the temporal pole). Sleep stages were classified manually from scalp EEG. Discharge events were characterized according to their rate and morphology (amplitude, sharpness and duration). Eight patients had a seizure onset zone over mesial areas and three patients over lateral neocortical areas. Overall, discharge rates varied across brain areas during wakefulness and sleep [wake/sleep stages × brain areas interaction; Wald χ(2)(df = 6) = 31.1, P < 0.0001]. N2–N3 non-rapid eye movement sleep increased interictal epileptiform discharges in mesial areas compared with wakefulness and rapid eye movement sleep (P < 0.0001), and to other areas (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). This mesial pattern was observed both within and outside of seizure onset zones. During wakefulness, the rate of interictal epileptiform discharges was significantly higher than during N2–N3 non-rapid eye movement sleep (P = 0.04), and rapid eye movement sleep (P = 0.01) in lateral neocortical areas (referred to as lateral neocortical pattern), a finding that was more pronounced in seizures onset zones (P = 0.004). The morphological characteristics of the discharge events were modulated during wakefulness and sleep stages across brain areas. The effect of seizure onset zones on discharge morphology was conditioned by brain area and was particularly marked in temporal pole areas. Our analysis of discharge patterns in relation to cerebral localization, vigilance state and the anatomical affiliation of seizure onset zones revealed the global and local aspects of the complex relationship between interictal discharges, sleep and seizure onset zones. This novel approach may lead to a better understanding of cognitive decline and responses to therapy, as well as to adaptation of surgical interventions for epileptic patients.