The cortical focus in childhood absence epilepsy; evidence from nonlinear analysis of scalp EEG recordings

Gibbs, in his pioneering work on the newly developed electroencephalogram, described in 1935 the characteristic 3Hz spike and wave (SW) discharge of "petit mal" (Gibbs FA, 1935). In 1941 Jasper and Kershman on EEGs of patients with "petit mal" seizures reported the abrupt onset and offset of bilateral highly synchronous SW discharges, and postulated a subcortical origin as the generator of the attacks (Jasper et al., 1941). A midline placed pacemaker projecting to both hemispheres could explain both the bilateral synchrony and the generalised onset and termination of the absences.

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