Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025
Recording EEG in Freely Moving Neonatal Rats Using a Novel Method
Published on: May 29, 2017
High-frequency oscillations recorded with surface EEG in neonates with seizures
Lotte Noorlag1, Maryse A van 't Klooster1, Alexander C van Huffelen1
1Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, University Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Insights
Neonatal brain activity can show epileptic high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) during seizures. However, these HFOs are uncommon and their ability to predict future childhood epilepsy requires further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epileptology
- Neonatal neurology
Background:
- Neonatal seizures often indicate perinatal brain injury.
- High-frequency oscillations (HFOs) are emerging biomarkers for epileptogenic tissue.
- Predicting childhood epilepsy in neonates with seizures remains challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the neonatal brain generates epileptic HFOs.
- To explore the potential of HFOs as predictors of epilepsy in neonates.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 24 surface EEGs from 16 neonates, totaling 175 seizures.
- Visual review of electroencephalograms (EEGs) for high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) during ictal and interictal periods.
- Quantification of ripple and fast ripple characteristics, including rate, frequency, and duration.
Main Results:
- High-frequency oscillations (HFOs) were detected in 7% of seizures across 25% of neonates studied.
- Both ripples and fast ripples were identified, with numerous events recorded during seizures and some interictally.
- HFOs frequently coincided with sharp transients, but no clear link to long-term outcome was established.
Conclusions:
- The neonatal brain is capable of generating epileptic ripples and fast ripples, especially during seizures.
- The observed occurrence of HFOs in neonates is not frequent.
- The clinical utility of neonatal HFOs in predicting epilepsy requires further research.
Objective:
Neonatal seizures are often the first symptom of perinatal brain injury. High-frequency oscillations (HFOs) are promising new biomarkers for epileptogenic tissue and can be found in intracranial and surface EEG. To date, we cannot reliably predict which neonates with seizures will develop childhood epilepsy. We questioned whether epileptic HFOs can be generated by the neonatal brain and potentially predict epilepsy.
Methods:
We selected 24 surface EEGs sampled at 2048 Hz with 175 seizures from 16 neonates and visually reviewed them for HFOs. Interictal epochs were also reviewed.
Results:
We found HFOs in thirteen seizures (7%) from four neonates (25%). 5025 ictal ripples (rate 10 to 1311/min; mean frequency 135 Hz; mean duration 66 ms) and 1427 fast ripples (rate 8 to 356/min; mean frequency 298 Hz; mean duration 25 ms) were marked. Two neonates (13%) showed interictal HFOs (285 ripples and 25 fast ripples). Almost all HFOs co-occurred with sharp transients. We could not find a relationship between neonatal HFOs and outcome yet.
Conclusions:
Neonatal HFOs co-occur with ictal and interictal sharp transients.
Significance:
The neonatal brain can generate epileptic ripples and fast ripples, particularly during seizures, though their occurrence is not common and potential clinical value not evident yet.
More Related Videos
10:22Interictal High Frequency Oscillations Detected with Simultaneous Magnetoencephalography and Electroencephalography as Biomarker of Pediatric Epilepsy
Published on: December 6, 2016
05:58Application of an Amplitude-integrated EEG Monitor Cerebral Function Monitor to Neonates
Published on: September 6, 2017
