High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Ictal refers to a physiologic state or event such as a seizure. The word originates from the Latin ictus, meaning a blow or a stroke. In electroencephalography (EEG), the recording during an actual seizure is said to be "ictal". There are four ictal states which include pre-ictal, ictal, post-ictal, and inter-ictal. Pre-ictal refers to the state immediately before the actual seizure, stroke, or headache, though it`s recently come to light that some of characteristics of this stage (such as visual auras) are actually the beginnings of the ictal state. Post-ictal refers to the state shortly after the event. Inter-ictal refers to the period between seizures, or convulsions, that are characteristic of an epilepsy disorder. For most people with epilepsy, the inter-ictal state corresponds to more than 99% of their life. The inter-ictal period is often used by neurologists when diagnosing epilepsy since an EEG trace will often show small inter-ictal spiking and other abnormalities known by neurologists as subclinical seizures. Inter-ictal EEG discharges are those abnormal waveforms not associated with seizure symptoms.