For the electroencephalographer, focal temporal periodic complexes have been strongly associated with herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE). The appearance and subsequent disappearance of these complexes has generally been held to herald a poor prognosis. This report involves an elderly man with HSVE who survived with no neurologic deficits despite the presence and later disappearance of periodic sharp complexes. This supports the view that the periodic complexes are more a function of the pathophysiologic changes caused by HSVE as opposed to a marker of tissue injury.
SmithM.G., LennetteE.H., and ReamesH.R., Isolation of virus of herpes simplexand demonstration of intranuclear inclusion in a case of acute encephalitis, Am. J. Pathol., 17:55–68, 1941.
2.
GriffithJ.F., and Ch'IenL.T., Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis., Diagnostic and treatment considerations, Med. Clin. North Am., 67:991–1008, 1983.
3.
WhitleyR.J., SoongS.J., DolinR., GalassoG.J., Ch'IenL.T., AlfordC.A., and the Collaborative Study Group, Adenine arabinoside therapy of biopsy-proven herpes simplex encephalitis, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Collaborative Study N. Engl. J. Med., 297:289–294, 1977.
4.
SkoldenbergB., ForsgrenM., AlestigK., BergstromT., BurmanL., DahlquistE., ForkmanA., FrydenA., LovgrenK., NorlinK., NorrbyR., Olding-Sten-KuistE., StiernstedtG., UhnooI., and De VahlK., Acyclovir versus vidarabine in Herpes Simplex Encephalitis, Randomized multicentre study in consecutive Swedish patients, Lancet, 2:707–711, 1984.
5.
WhitleyR.J., AlfordC.A., HirschM.S., SchooleyR.T., LubyJ.P., AokiF.Y., HanleyD., NahmiasA.J., SoongS.J., and the NIAID Collaborative Antiviral Study Group, Vidarabine versus acyclovir therapy in Herpes Simplex Encephalitis N. Engl. J. Med., 314:144–149, 1986.
6.
RadermeckerJ., Systematique et electro-encephalographie des encephalites et encephalopathies, Electroenceph. Clin. Neurophysiol., (Suppl), 5:1–243, 1956.
7.
MillarJ.H.D., and CoeyA., The EEG in necrotizing encephalitis, Electroenceph. Clin. Neurophysiol., 11:582–585, 1959.
8.
IllisL.S., and TaylorF.M., The electroencephalogram in Herpes Simplex Encephalitis, Lancet, 1:718–721, 1972.
9.
GachesJ., and MalonS., Encephalites herpetiques en neuro-chirugie, Apport de I'EEG au diagnostic precoce, Sem. Hop. Paris, 58:748–753, 1982.
10.
TenserR.B., Herpes Simplex and Herpes Zoster. ,Nervous system involvement, Neurol. Clin., 2:215–240, 1984.
11.
OommenK.J., and Salazar-CalderonV.H., Herpes Simplex Virus (type 1) Encephalitis, Report of a case treated with Acyclovir, Arizona Med., 13:313–317, 1985.
12.
GreenbergS.B., TaberL., SeptimusE., KohlS., PuckJ., and BryanR.N., Computerized tomography in brain biopsy-proven Herpes Simplex Encephalitis, Arch. Neurol., 38:58–59, 1981.
13.
NolanD.C., CarruthersM.M., and Ler-NerA.M., Herpesvirus hominis encephalitis in Michigan, Report of thirteen cases, including six treated with Idoxuridine N. Engl. J. Med., 282:10–13, 1970.
14.
RawlsW.E., DyckP.J., KlassD.W., GreerH.D.III, and HERRMANNE. C.Jr., Encephalitis associated with Herpes Simplex virus, Ann. Intern. Med., 64:104–115, 1966.
15.
UptonA., and GumpertJ., Electroencephalography in diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis, Lancet, 1:650–652, 1970.
Ch'IenL.T., BoehmR.M., RobinsonH., . Characteristic early electroencephalographic changes in herpes simplex encephalitis: clinical and virologic studies, Arch. Neurol., 34:361–364, 1977.
18.
RossC.C., and StevensonJ., Herpes Simplex meningoencephalitis, Lancet, 2:682–685, 1961.
19.
JohnsonR.T., The contribution of virologic research to clinical neurology, N. Engl. J. Med., 307:660–662, 1982.
20.
KlapperP.E., CleatorG.M., and Long-SonM., Mild forms of Herpes Encephalitis J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat., 47:1247–1250, 1984.
21.
WhitelyR.J., SoongSeng-Jaw, Linne-ManC., LivC., PazinG., AlfordC.A., and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Collaborative Antiviral Study Group, Herpes simplex encephalitis: clinical assessment, JAMA, 247(3):317–320, 1982.
22.
NahmiasA.J., WhitleyR.J., VisintineA.N., TakeiY., and AlfordC.A.Jr., and the Collaborative Antiviral Study Group, Herpes simplex virus encephalitis: laboratory evaluations and their diagnostic significance, J. Infect. Dis., 145:829–836, 1982.
23.
AdamsJ.H., and JennettW.B., Acute necrotizing encephalitis: a problem in diagnosis, J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiat., 30:248–260, 1967.
24.
JohnsonK.P., RosenthalM.S., and LernerP.I., Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: the course in five virologically proven cases, Arch. Neurol., 27:103–107, 1972.
25.
SmithJ.B., WestmorelandB.F., ReaganT.J., . A distinctive clinical EEG profile in herpes simplex encephalitis, Mayo Clin. Proa, 50:469–474, 1975.
26.
CobbW.A., Evidence on the periodic mechanism in herpes simplex encephalitis, Electroen-cephal. Clin. Neurophysiol., 46:345–350, 1979.
27.
KoskiniemiM.L., VaheriA., ValtonenS., HaltiaM., KasteM., ManninenV., SalonenE.M., IcenA., Cantell K., and the Study Group, Trial with human leukocyte interferon and vidarabine in herpes simplex virus encephalitis., Diagnostic and therapeutic problems, Acta Med. Scand. (Suppl), 668:150–160, 1982.
28.
DavisL.E., and McLarenL.C., Relapsing Herpes Simplex Encephalitis following antiviral therapy, Ann. Neurol., 13:192–195, 1983.
29.
DixR.D., BaringerJ.R., PanitchH.S., RosenbergS.H., HagedornJ., and WhaleyJ., Recurrent herpes simplex encephalitis: recovery of virus after Ara-A treatment, Ann. Neurol., 13:196–200, 1983.
30.
GachesJ., and ARFELG., Certitude et suspicious d'encephalites herpetiques: aspects electroencephalographiques, Encephale, 61: 510–549, 1972.
31.
LimaP.H., Anderson-BeckmanG., ForbesD.J., and PozosR.S., Spontaneous discharges in rat sensory neurons caused by herpes simplex virus, Soc. Neurosci. Abs., 9:592, 1983.
32.
MayerM.L., JamesM.H., RussellR.J., KellyJ.S., WiseJ.CM., and PasternakC.A., Spontaneous electrical activity induced by herpes virus infection in rat sensory neuron cultures, Brain Res., 341:360–364, 1985.
33.
MayerM.L., JamesM.H., RussellR.J., KellyJ.S., and PasternakC.A., Changes in excitability induced by Herpes Simplex Viruses in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, J. Neurosci., 6:391–402, 1986.
