Electroencephalographic (EEG) Biomarkers in Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Biomarker Development

Background:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders are common, with over a third having a genetic cause, though individually rare.
• Limited clinical outcome assessments and biomarkers hinder treatment development for these conditions.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) is a noninvasive tool with potential as a brain function biomarker, but its use in neurodevelopmental disorders requires more research.

Approach:

• This review examines EEG applications in three prevalent genetic neurodevelopmental disorders: Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome, and fragile X syndrome.
• Quantitative EEG analyses, including power spectral analysis and connectivity measures, are explored for their ability to objectify EEG signatures.
• The potential for these quantitative EEG metrics to correlate with clinical phenotypes is investigated.

Key Points:

• In Angelman and Rett syndromes, increased delta power on spectral analysis correlates with disease severity markers like developmental disability and seizures.
• EEG spectral power analysis in fragile X syndrome typically shows abnormalities in gamma power.
• Quantitative EEG analysis offers a method to objectively measure EEG patterns and their relationship to clinical features.

Conclusions:

• EEG is a promising noninvasive biomarker for neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Quantitative EEG analysis reveals distinct spectral power abnormalities in Angelman, Rett, and fragile X syndromes.
• Further research is essential to solidify the relationship between quantitative EEG biomarkers and clinical phenotypes in rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorders.