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Altered EEG spectral activity and attentional behavioral deficits following prolonged febrile seizures: a pilot study
Sarah Lippé1, Marie-Sylvie Roy, Claudine Arcand
1Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
Insights
Febrile seizures (FSs) in infants can alter brain activity. Prolonged FSs showed persistent spectral density changes, suggesting potential long-term neurological impacts and affecting attentional capacities in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neurophysiology
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- The long-term neurological consequences of febrile seizures (FSs) in infants remain unclear.
- Non-invasive brain function markers are needed to predict FS outcomes.
- Pattern visual evoked potentials (pVEPs) offer a potential tool for assessing infant brain function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain function markers in infants following febrile seizures using pVEPs.
- To assess the impact of FS severity and duration on neurophysiological measures.
- To correlate neurophysiological findings with cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children.
Main Methods:
- Recorded pVEPs in 18 infants with FSs and age-matched controls.
- Analyzed spectral density and coherence of pVEP responses at different time points post-seizure.
- Administered cognitive (Bayley, Stanford-Binet) and behavioral (Achenbach) assessments.
Main Results:
- pVEP responses and coherence did not differ significantly between FS and control groups.
- Increased delta band activity was observed in all FS groups.
- Reduced high-frequency density was noted in prolonged FS groups up to 39 months post-seizure.
- FS infants exhibited average cognitive development but lower attentional capacities.
Conclusions:
- Persistent spectral density changes in prolonged FS may indicate seizure-induced brain alterations or genetic factors.
- These findings suggest potential neurophysiological markers for predicting behavioral deficits or epilepsy risk.
- Further research is required to validate these markers for clinical prediction.
Abstract:
The consequences of febrile seizures (FSs) in infants are still a matter of debate. It is important to develop non-invasive tools to determine markers of brain function that could have predictive value for the outcome of FSs infants.Pattern visual evoked potentials (pVEPs) were recorded in 18 FS infants (mean age of seizure 15.97 months). Spectral density and coherence analyses were performed in infants evaluated at 1.1 month (n = 4), 5.75 months (n = 4) or 30.33 months (n = 6) following a prolonged FS and compared to age-matched healthy controls. The impact of severity of seizures was assessed by comparing the children who had prolonged FSs to 4 infants that had experienced a simple FS. Cognitive tests (Bayley, Stanford-Binet) were administered at the time of testing in FS and control children. Behavioural measures (Achenbach Child Behavior Check List) were administered two years after the FS. pVEP responses and coherence measures failed to yield significant differences between the FS groups and healthy controls. However, spectral density measures showed a significant increase in delta band activity in both FS groups and a reduced high frequency density only in the prolonged FS groups that was seen up to 39 months post-seizure. Behavioural and cognitive measures revealed cognitive development within average, but lower attentional capacities in the FS infants. The persistent changes in spectral density patterns seen in children with prolonged FS may reflect seizure induced alterations in the developing brain or a result of a complex mode of inheritance. Further studies are needed to determine whether these observations can be used as a marker to predict the vulnerability of the child in developing behavioral deficits or epilepsy.
