Abstract: Theroutine use of stimulants in pediatrics has increased dramatically over thepast 3 decades and the long-term consequences have yet to be fully studied.Since 1978 there have been 7 articles identifying electroencephalogram (EEG)abnormalities, particularly epileptiform discharges in children with attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many have studied the prevalence ofthese discharges in this population with varying results. An article publishedin 2011 suggests that EEG technology should be considered prior to prescribingstimulants to children diagnosed with ADHD due to a high prevalence ofepileptiform discharges. The 2011 study found a higher prevalence (26%) ofepileptiform discharges when using 23-hour and sleep-deprived EEGs incomparison with other methods of activation (hyperventilation orphotostimulation) and conventional EEG. We sought to replicate the 2011 resultsusing conventional EEG with the added qEEG technologies of automatic spikedetection and low-resolution electromagnetic tomography analysis (LORETA) brainmapping. Our results showed 32% prevalence of epileptiform discharges, whichsuggests that an EEG should be considered prior to prescribing stimulantmedications.
