S100B proteins in febrile seizures

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Biomarkers
• Neuroscience

Background:

• S100B protein is a marker for brain damage and blood-brain barrier integrity.
• Elevated S100B in children can indicate astrocyte damage, even after mild head injuries.
• S100B may reflect ongoing brain pathology in febrile seizures (FS) and recurrence risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate S100B protein concentrations in serum and cerebrospinal fluid after a child's first febrile seizure.
• To determine if S100B levels correlate with FS severity or recurrence.
• To assess if FS causes significant blood-brain barrier opening.

Main Methods:

• Measured S100B protein concentrations in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of 103 children post-first FS.
• Included 33 children with acute infection but no FS as controls for serum S100B.
• Analyzed correlations between S100B levels, age, time to hospital, FS severity, and recurrence.

Main Results:

• Mean serum S100B was 0.12 μg/L in FS patients and 0.11 μg/L in controls (P=0.46).
• Mean cerebrospinal fluid S100B was 0.21 μg/L in FS patients.
• S100B concentrations did not predict FS severity or recurrence; no correlation with time to hospital.

Conclusions:

• Febrile seizures (FS) in children do not appear to cause significant blood-brain barrier disruption.
• Findings support the notion that FS are relatively benign for the developing brain.
• S100B protein levels are not predictive of FS severity or recurrence in this cohort.