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The 6–7 and 14 Positive Spikes

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Standard EEG: A Research Roadmap for Neuropsychiatry

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Abstract

Henry (1963) and Hughes (1965) published reviews on the topic. Both reviews suggested that the 6–7 and 14 PS had some pathological correlations possibly including some forms of epilepsy. Subsequently, a number of reports were published that asserted a lack of correlation with epilepsy. This conclusion was based on the observation that the detection of this pattern did not predict the occurrence of any form of seizures recognized by the epilepsy clinical or research communities. The serious problem occurred when this lack of a close relationship between PS and epilepsy or any other neurological conditions was generalized to mean that the pattern in fact had no pathological correlates at all. A number of reports appeared that concluded that the PS was an entirely normal phenomenon void of any clinical significance. As is obvious, there is a rather large logical gap between the two assertions. By the mid-1970s a number of reports began appearing that related the 6–7 and 14 PS to behavioral and neurovegetative symptoms. Among the six “controversial” patterns described in this section, the PS proves to be the most controversial.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine (UMKC), Kansas, MO, USA

    Nash N. Boutros

  2. The Center for Behavioral Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine (UMKC), 1000 East 24th Street, Kansas, MO, 64108, USA

    Nash N. Boutros

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Boutros, N.N. (2013). The 6–7 and 14 Positive Spikes. In: Standard EEG: A Research Roadmap for Neuropsychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04444-6_19

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