Fourteen- and Six-per-Second Positive Spikes

Abstract

There has been considerable interest expressed in the current literature regarding the relationships of certain EEG findings to behavioral and psychic phenomena. A large number of these studies have described an important association of 14- and 6-per second positive spikes with some neuropsychiatric disorders. The 14 and 6 EEG pattern has been reported by various authors to appear in a significant proportion of children and young adults with disturbed behavior characterized clinically by poor impulse control, unpredictable violence, and homocidal or suicidal assault.^3,12,13,17Also cited as clinical correlates of 14- and 6-per second spikes are episodic epileptiform and autonomic dysfunctions, head injuries, some types of mental deficiency, functional psychoses, and other syndromes.^{1,4-8,10,11,14,15}However, for psychiatrists the interest in this subject is upon the meaning of these EEG patterns when they are encountered in psychiatric patients and whether the 14 and