Interindividual Variability in the Occurrence of Sleep Spindles Induced by Interictal Epileptiform Discharges: an Electrocorticographic Analysis

Background: Sleep spindles are believed to play a key role in learning and memory. Recently, Gelinas et al. (Nat Med, 2016) have reported that interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) induce unusual sleep spindles and thus impair memory consolidation in model rats of temporal lobe epilepsy. However, evidence of IED-induced sleep spindles in human patients, especially in patients with extra-temporal lobe epilepsy, is scarce.