Background: seizures are one of the most common symptoms of acute neurological disorders in newborns. This study aimed at evaluating predictors of epilepsy in newborns with neonatal seizures. Methods: We recruited consecutively 85 neonates with repeated neonatal video-electroencephalogram (eeG)-confirmed seizures between January 1999 and December 2004. The relationship between clinical, eeG, and ultrasound (Us) data in the neonatal period and the development of postneonatal epilepsy was investigated at 7 y of age. results: Fifteen patients (17.6%) developed postneonatal epilepsy. Partial or no response to anticonvulsant therapy (odds ratio (OR) 16.7, 95% confidence interval (cI): 1.8-155.8, P = 0.01; OR 47, 95% cI: 5.2-418.1, P < 0.01, respectively), severely abnormal cerebral Us scan findings (OR: 5.4; 95% cI: 1.1-27.4; P < 0.04), severely abnormal eeG background activity (OR: 9.5; 95% cI: 1.6-54.2; P = 0.01), and the presence of status epilepticus (OR: 6.1; 95% cI: 1.8-20.3; P < 0.01) were found to be predictors of epilepsy. however, only the response to therapy seemed to be an independent predictor of postneonatal epilepsy. conclusion: Neonatal seizures seem to be related to postneonatal epilepsy. Recurrent and prolonged neonatal seizures may act on an epileptogenic substrate, causing further damage, which is responsible for the subsequent clinical expression of epilepsy.

The incidence of NS is inversely associated with gestational age and birth weight. The etiology and a low Apgar score are strongly related to mortality; female gender and status epilepticus are risk factors for the development of epilepsy.

Here we describe the performance of children with autism, their siblings, and typically developing children using the Florida Apraxia Battery. Children with autism showed the lowest performance in all sections of the test. They were mostly impaired in pantomime actions execution on imitation and on verbal command, and in imitation of meaningless gestures. Interestingly, a correlation was found between performance in pantomime actions and the severity of social behavior deficits. We conclude that the presence of a rigid internal model prevents the execution of an exact copy of the observed pantomime actions and that the deficit in imitation of meaningless gestures is most likely due to a deficit in the mechanisms responsible for visuomotor transformations.

Childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (CECTS) is the most common type of "self-limited focal epilepsies." In its typical presentation, CECTS is a condition reflecting non-lesional cortical hyperexcitability of rolandic regions. The benign evolution of this disorder is challenged by the frequent observation of associated neuropsychological deficits and behavioral impairment. The abundance (or frequency) of interictal centrotemporal spikes (CTS) in CECTS is considered a risk factor for deficits in cognition. Herein, we captured the hemodynamic changes triggered by the CTS density measure (i.e., the number of CTS for time bin) obtained in a cohort of CECTS, studied by means of video electroencephalophy/functional MRI during quite wakefulness. We aim to demonstrate a direct influence of the diurnal CTS frequency on epileptogenic and cognitive networks of children with CECTS. A total number of 8,950 CTS (range between 27 and 801) were recorded in 23 CECTS (21 male), with a mean number of 255 CTS/patient and a mean density of CTS/30 s equal to 10,866 ± 11.46. Two independent general linear model models were created for each patient based on the effect of interest: "individual CTS" in model 1 and "CTS density" in model 2. Hemodynamic correlates of CTS density revealed the involvement of a widespread cortical-subcortical network encompassing the sensory-motor cortex, the Broca's area, the premotor cortex, the thalamus, the putamen, and red nucleus, while in the CTS event-related model, changes were limited to blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal increases in the sensory-motor cortices. A linear relationship was observed between the CTS density Vaudano et al. Hemodynamic Effects of CTS Density hemodynamic changes and both disease duration (positive correlation) and age (negative correlation) within the language network and the bilateral insular cortices. Our results strongly support the critical role of the CTS frequency, even during wakefulness, to interfere with the normal functioning of language brain networks.

No abstract