Resting state EEG in young children with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Biomarker Research

Background:

• Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) presents with autism, epilepsy, and intellectual disability.
• Resting state EEG can reveal neural oscillatory activity, potentially serving as a biomarker.
• Epilepsy and medications in TSC can influence EEG, posing challenges for biomarker development.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare resting state EEG features in young children with TSC to typically developing controls.
• Investigate associations between EEG features, seizure severity, and GABA agonist use in TSC.
• Evaluate the potential of resting state EEG as a biomarker in TSC clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study comparing 49 children with TSC (12-37 months) to 49 age/sex-matched controls.
• Analyzed resting state EEG data across a 2-50Hz frequency range.
• Used SpecParam to differentiate periodic and aperiodic spectral components.

Main Results:

• Children with TSC exhibited significantly greater alpha and beta power compared to controls.
• TSC group showed increased aperiodic offset in power spectra.
• Higher seizure severity and GABA agonist use were independently associated with increased peak beta power in TSC.

Conclusions:

• Elevated beta power in TSC may stem from seizures and GABA agonist use.
• Collecting seizure and medication data alongside EEG is crucial for TSC clinical trials.
• Challenges exist in using resting state EEG as a biomarker for neurodevelopmental disorders with common epilepsy and medication use.