Small sharp spikes (SSS or BETS)

Small sharp spikes (SSS) Synonymes: BETS (Benign Epileptiform Transients of Sleep) and benign sporadic sleep spikes

• Occur in light sleep (non-REM 1 and 2 sleep)
• Amplitude of <50 microV and duration of <50 ms
• Usually monophasic, occasionally diphasic
• Occasionally followed by a slow wave, however do not disturb the background
• Located temporal uni- or bilateral
• Incidence of 20%
• Small sharp spikes are not associated with epilepsy

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Small sharp spikes bilateral during non-REM 1 sleep (average)

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