Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Rat Model of Widespread Cerebral Cortical Demyelination Induced by an Intracerebral Injection of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines
09:46

Rat Model of Widespread Cerebral Cortical Demyelination Induced by an Intracerebral Injection of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines

Published on: September 21, 2021

5.2K

Hypsarrhythmia is associated with widespread, asymmetric cerebral hypermetabolism

Julius K Weng1, Regina Ahn2, Shaun A Hussain1

  • 1Division of Pediatric Neurology, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Seizure
|June 16, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Hypsarrhythmia, a pattern seen in infantile spasms, is linked to increased brain metabolism, particularly in the left hemisphere. This widespread hypermetabolism suggests hypsarrhythmia may represent a quasi-ictal state.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Hypsarrhythmia is the characteristic interictal electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern associated with infantile spasms.
  • Understanding the metabolic consequences of hypsarrhythmia is crucial for comprehending the pathophysiology of infantile spasms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the regional cerebral metabolic activity in children with infantile spasms, comparing those with and without hypsarrhythmia.
  • To evaluate the metabolic impact of hypsarrhythmia using fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of patients with video-EEG confirmed infantile spasms who underwent simultaneous interictal EEG and FDG-PET.
  • Measurement of pons-normalized relative cerebral metabolic activity (RCA) in 18 cortical and 6 subcortical regions of interest (ROIs).

Main Results:

  • Sixty-three patients were analyzed, categorized by EEG patterns: hypsarrhythmia (n=9), high-voltage EEG background (n=20), and multifocal independent spike discharges (MISD) (n=34).
  • Hypsarrhythmia was associated with hypermetabolism in 11 of 18 cortical ROIs after adjusting for age.
  • The association between hypsarrhythmia and hypermetabolism was more pronounced in the left hemisphere after accounting for lateralized epileptogenic zones.

Conclusions:

  • Hypsarrhythmia is linked to widespread elevations in relative cerebral metabolic activity, notably more in the left hemisphere.
  • These metabolic changes are not always apparent on routine review of PET scans.
  • The findings suggest that hypsarrhythmia may function as a quasi-ictal phenomenon due to extensive cortical hypermetabolism.
Abstract

Keywords:
Epileptic spasmsInfantile spasmsMetabolismPETWest syndrome

More Related Videos

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion08:19

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion

Published on: January 15, 2016

9.3K
Asymmetric Thermoelectrochemical Cell for Harvesting Low-grade Heat under Isothermal Operation09:09

Asymmetric Thermoelectrochemical Cell for Harvesting Low-grade Heat under Isothermal Operation

Published on: February 5, 2020

7.6K

Related Concept Videos

Rotation of Asymmetric Top01:11

Rotation of Asymmetric Top

By definition, a spherically symmetric body has the same moment of inertia about any axis passing through its center of mass. This situation changes if there is no spherical symmetry. Since most rigid bodies are not spherically symmetric, these require special treatment.
The relationship between the angular momentum of any rigid body and its angular velocity, both of which are vectors, involves the moment of inertia. The moment of inertia is a scalar quantity only for spherically symmetric...
1.5K
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric membranes. The treatment of the erythrocyte membrane with the enzyme phospholipase confirmed the asymmetric nature of the lipid bilayer. The enzyme hydrolyzes lipids into fatty acids and hydrophilic groups. The phospholipase acts only on the outer layer of the membrane, while the inner layer remains intact. The phospholipase treatment resulted in 80%...
9.7K
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation02:17

Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation

Catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes is a transition-metal catalyzed reduction of the double bond using molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. The mode of hydrogen addition follows syn stereochemistry.
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
3.8K
IR Spectrum Peak Splitting: Symmetric vs Asymmetric Vibrations01:08

IR Spectrum Peak Splitting: Symmetric vs Asymmetric Vibrations

Identical bonds within a polyatomic group can stretch symmetrically (in-phase) or asymmetrically (out-of-phase). Similar to hydrogen bonding, these vibrations also influence the shape of the IR peak. Generally, asymmetric stretching frequencies are higher than symmetric stretching frequencies. For example, primary amines exhibit two distinct IR peaks between 3300–3500 cm−1 corresponding to the symmetric and asymmetric N-H stretching, while secondary amines exhibit a single...
1.8K
Cerebral Hemispheres01:05

Cerebral Hemispheres

The human brain, a complex organ, is functionally divided into two cerebral hemispheres—left and right. These hemispheres are interconnected by a structure of paramount importance, the corpus callosum. This substantial bundle of neural fibers is not just a bridge between the hemispheres but a crucial element for the brain's comprehensive functioning. It enables efficient communication between the two hemispheres, allowing each side of the brain to control and receive sensory and motor...
2.2K
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
43.5K