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Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy
10:22

Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy

Published on: December 6, 2016

Treatment of interictal epileptiform discharges can improve behavior in children with behavioral problems and

Ronit M Pressler1, Richard O Robinson, Goigia A Wilson

  • 1Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, King's College London, London, UK. ronit.pressler@uclh.org

The Journal of Pediatrics
|January 13, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Suppressing interictal discharges improved behavior in children with epilepsy, especially those with partial epilepsy. This suggests a link between brain electrical activity and behavioral issues in pediatric epilepsy.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epilepsy Research
  • Behavioral Neuroscience

Background:

  • Current treatment for childhood epilepsy focuses on clinical seizures.
  • The role of subclinical epileptic activity (interictal discharges) in behavior is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if reducing interictal discharges impacts behavior in children with epilepsy.
  • To explore the relationship between electroencephalographic (EEG) discharge suppression and behavioral improvements.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study involving 61 children with mild or well-controlled epilepsy.
  • Patients received either lamotrigine then placebo, or placebo then lamotrigine, with EEG monitoring and behavioral assessments.
  • The study assessed if reduced EEG discharges correlated with improved behavioral scores.

Main Results:

  • Behavioral ratings significantly improved in children whose interictal discharge frequency or duration decreased with active treatment.
  • No behavioral improvement was observed in children without a significant change in discharge rate.
  • Improvements were most pronounced in children with partial epilepsy.

Conclusions:

  • Reducing interictal epileptic discharges can lead to behavioral improvements in children with epilepsy, particularly those with partial epilepsy.
  • Focal epileptic discharges may play a role in the mechanisms underlying behavioral problems associated with epilepsy.
Abstract

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