Gamma frequency SSVEP components differentiate children with febrile seizures from normal controls

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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

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

Ala Birca1, Lionel Carmant, Anne Lortie

  • 1Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Mère-Enfant (Sainte-Justine), Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Epilepsia
|January 22, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with febrile seizures (FS) exhibit abnormal gamma frequency brainwave activity. This steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) finding suggests a potential hypersynchrony tendency in these young patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Gamma band electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities are linked to epilepsy.
  • Febrile seizures (FS) are common in young children and can sometimes precede epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gamma frequency steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) abnormalities in infants and young children with febrile seizures (FS).
  • To compare SSVEP responses between FS patients, their siblings, and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed the magnitude and phase alignment of 50-100 Hz SSVEP components.
  • Used intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) in 12 FS patients, 5 siblings, and 15 controls (6-36 months old).

Main Results:

  • Patients with FS demonstrated significantly higher SSVEP magnitude and phase alignment compared to siblings and controls.
  • These findings indicate altered gamma frequency processing in children with FS.

Conclusions:

  • Observed SSVEP abnormalities in FS patients may reflect seizure consequences or a predisposition to neural hypersynchrony.
  • Further research is needed to explore the association with complex FS and prognostic value for epilepsy development.

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