Twenty-five head-injured patients with localized theta bursts on standard or 24 h ambulatory EEC were administered a standardized interview for neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with complex partial seizures (e.g. olfactory hallucinations, memory gaps) and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Although the formal neuropsychological test performances of these patients were relatively normal they reported an abundance of seizure-like behavioural symptoms. While the frequency of these symptoms was high, they did not occur in a sterotyped complex or sequence. These findings suggest that localized theta bursts may be diagnostic of an underlying neuroelectrical disorder.