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EEG and Evoked Potentials in the Diagnosis of Dementias

  • Conference paper
Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

Part of the book series: Advances in Applied Neurological Sciences ((NEUROLOGICAL,volume 2))

Abstract

The EEG in normal adults is characterized by an occipitally dominant 10-Hz alpha rhythm (Fig. 1). The alpha rhythm is reactive, meaning it is attenuated when the eyes are open (Fig. 2) and reappears after eye closure. Even centenarians may have an EEG with a normal alpha rhythm. However, Busse et al. (1956) found that 51% of normal subjects over 60 years of age showed slight EEG abnormalities, mainly focal, in the anterior-temporal regions. The percentage of focal abnormalities increases with age from about 20% in the 40–59-year-old to about 30%–40% in the 60–79-year-old group (Busse and Obrist 1965). These findings have been confirmed by several other authors. The proportion of focal changes in normal aged subjects should not exceed 25% of the EEG record.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Free University, Valeriuskliniek, Valeriusplein 9, 1075 BG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    S. L. Visser

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  1. S. L. Visser
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurobiology Department, Troponwerke GmbH & Co. KG, Neurather Ring 1, D-5000, Köln 80, Germany

    Jörg Traber

  2. Division of Molecular Neurobiology Rudolf Magnus Institute for Pharmacology and Institute of Molecular Biology, State University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, NL-3508 TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Willem Hendrik Gispen

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© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Visser, S.L. (1985). EEG and Evoked Potentials in the Diagnosis of Dementias. In: Traber, J., Gispen, W.H. (eds) Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type. Advances in Applied Neurological Sciences, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70644-8_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70644-8_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-70646-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-70644-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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