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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Application of an Amplitude-integrated EEG Monitor (Cerebral Function Monitor) to Neonates
Published on: September 6, 2017
Thalamic, Hippocampal, and Amygdalar subregional volumetric alterations in neonates with isolated aEEG abnormalities
Chen-Yu Dong1, Su-E Cao1, Xiang Zhou1
1Department of Radiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Objective:
To investigate volumetric changes in thalamic, hippocampal, and amygdala subregions in neonates with mild amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) abnormalities and no organic brain lesions.
Methods:
This prospective cross-sectional study enrolled neonates delivered by forceps-assisted vaginal birth at our hospital between May 2020 and July 2024. As part of the institutional clinical protocol for this delivery cohort, aEEG monitoring, routine MRI, and an additional 3D T1-weighted sequence were performed after pediatrician recommendation and parental/legal guardian consent. Participants were grouped as persistent mildly abnormal aEEG (n = 63) or normal aEEG (n = 55). Subregional volumes were derived from 3D T1-weighted MRI and compared using ANCOVA, controlling for total intracranial volume, sex, and corrected gestational age.
Results:
Volumes were reduced in the abnormal group for left ventral anterior magnocellular, ventral posterolateral, and pulvinar inferior nuclei (p = 0.036, 0.041, 0.039); right anteroventral, laterodorsal, lateral posterior, ventral lateral anterior, ventral lateral posterior, ventral posterolateral, paracentral, centromedian, pulvinar anterior, pulvinar lateral nuclei and mediodorsal lateral parvocellular (p = 0.045, 0.043, 0.039, 0.040, 0.038, 0.031, 0.042, 0.039, 0.040, 0.037, 0.038). Hippocampal reductions involved left CA1, HATA, and molecular layer (p = 0.012, 0.032, 0.035); right presubiculum, subiculum, molecular layer, and tail (p = 0.002, 0.030, 0.028, 0.021). Amygdala reductions included left basal, cortico amygdaloid transition, and paralaminar nuclei (p = 0.002, 0.047, 0.037); right basal, accessory basal, cortico amygdaloid transition, and paralaminar nuclei (p = 0.014, 0.046, 0.002, 0.006).
Conclusion:
Mild aEEG abnormalities correlate with volume reductions in specific thalamic, hippocampal, and amygdala subregions, suggesting altered structural development even without overt lesions. This provides potential imaging evidence for early neurological assessment.
