Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

A Battery of Motor Tests in a Neonatal Mouse Model of Cerebral Palsy
Published on: November 3, 2016
Nonepileptic motor phenomena in the neonate
Richard James Huntsman1, Noel John Lowry, Koravangattu Sankaran
1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Abstract:
The newborn infant is prone to clinical motor phenomena that are not epileptic in nature. These include tremors, jitteriness, various forms of myoclonus and brainstem release phenomena. They are frequently misdiagnosed as seizures, resulting in unnecessary investigations and treatment with anticonvulsants, which have potentially harmful side effects. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of literature about many of these phenomena in the newborn, and some of the major textbooks refer to these events as nonepileptic seizures, leading to further confusion for the practitioner. The present paper aims to review these phenomena with special emphasis on differentiating them from epileptic seizures, and offers information on treatment and prognosis wherever possible.
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Seizures: Classification
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
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Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:
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