Which EEG pattern is associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?

Which EEG pattern is associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?

• A. Generalized spike-and-wave
• B. Periodic sharp wave complexes
• C. Fibrillatory activity
• D. Theta bursts

Answer: (B)

Periodic sharp wave complexes at a roughly 1–2 Hz rhythm are the EEG hallmark of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They appear as repeating, high-amplitude sharp waves or spike-like complexes that occur at regular intervals across the scalp recording, usually against a background of diffuse slowing. This pattern reflects widespread cortical involvement from prion-related neurodegeneration and tends to become more evident as the disease advances, often helping to support the diagnosis when the clinical picture includes rapid dementia and myoclonus. Early on, diffuse slowing may predominate before periodic complexes appear. Generalized spike-and-wave discharges are typical of absence seizures, not CJD. Fibrillatory activity is a nonspecific pattern seen in various encephalopathies, and theta bursts are not characteristic of CJD.

Periodic sharp wave complexes at a roughly 1–2 Hz rhythm are the EEG hallmark of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. They appear as repeating, high-amplitude sharp waves or spike-like complexes that occur at regular intervals across the scalp recording, usually against a background of diffuse slowing. This pattern reflects widespread cortical involvement from prion-related neurodegeneration and tends to become more evident as the disease advances, often helping to support the diagnosis when the clinical picture includes rapid dementia and myoclonus. Early on, diffuse slowing may predominate before periodic complexes appear. Generalized spike-and-wave discharges are typical of absence seizures, not CJD. Fibrillatory activity is a nonspecific pattern seen in various encephalopathies, and theta bursts are not characteristic of CJD.