OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to analyze neurophysiologic aspects of rolandic discharges. METHODS We reviewed 45 electroencephalograms of patients divided into two groups: those with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) and symptomatic partial epilepsy (SPE), following ILAE criteria (1989). The EEG data analyzed were: horizontal dipole discharges, double spike phenomenon, the extension of epileptiform discharges and background activity. RESULTS There was a predominance of horizontal dipole between patients with BCECTS compared with patients with SPE; however, this difference was not statistically significant. There was also no statistically significant difference between the two groups when the double spike phenomenon and the extension of discharges beyond the rolandic area were considered. The slower background activity in the SPE group was the only variable with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed similarities between rolandic discharges of two different epilepsy groups. The only reliable parameter to differentiate the groups was the background activity. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that most EEG rolandic features are not pathognomonic of BCECTS, as they are related to the area of the discharges and not to the epileptic syndrome itself.