Prolonged convulsive seizures in childhood could be linked to the development of other brain conditions, a study suggests.
Lasting effects are more pronounced in children who had other neurological problems before their seizure, researchers say.
Here's How Seizures Lead to Memory Loss
A new mechanism developed helps explain how seizures can lead to memory loss. The levels of deltaFosB and calbindin are essential markers of brain activity and memory function.
Advertisement
‘Lasting neurological conditions, including epilepsy, learning disabilities and movement problems were more common in children who suffered from CSE.’
Tweet it Now
The study - the first of its kind worldwide - provides insight into the long-term health impact of convulsive status epilepticus (CSE), in which a single seizure, or series of seizures, lasts for at least 30 minutes.
Its findings will be important for doctors as they try to predict what the lasting outcomes might be for families, and how to monitor and treat children who had CSE.
![Slowing Down Brain Cell Growth Reduces Risk of Seizures After Head Injury]( "Slowing Down Brain Cell Growth Reduces Risk of Seizures After Head Injury")
Preventing excessive neurogenesis or the synthesis of nerve cells after brain injury could prevent seizures.
CSE is the most common medical emergency in young children, affecting 1 in 5000 people per year in the developed world. Long-term consequences of CSE are not well established.
Researchers based at the University of Edinburgh and UCL (University College London) followed the health of more than 100 children for nine years after they had CSE.
Lasting neurological conditions, including epilepsy, learning disabilities and movement problems were more common than expected for children from the general population, the study found.
Children who had existing neurological or developmental issues at the time of a CSE were more likely to have a neurological problem at follow up, researchers say.
Children without an existing neurological or developmental issue tended to have more positive outcomes.
The findings offer fresh insights into the biological cause of long-term brain conditions in children after CSE and could help doctors decide on treatment for patients.
The study is published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
Richard Chin, Director of the University of Edinburgh's Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre, who led the study, said: "Our study indicates that children with pre-existing neurological conditions are far more likely to experience chronic neurological and cognitive problems following convulsive status epilepticus. This is a very important finding for planning long-term treatment for children whose brains may be more vulnerable to the effects of a prolonged seizure.
"The findings also give hope to families whose children did not have neurological problems before, as the long-term effects of their child's prolonged seizure may not be as marked as might be expected."
Source: Eurekalert
Slowing Down Brain Cell Growth Reduces Risk of Seizures After Head Injury
Preventing excessive neurogenesis or the synthesis of nerve cells after brain injury could prevent seizures.
Advertisement
CSE is the most common medical emergency in young children, affecting 1 in 5000 people per year in the developed world. Long-term consequences of CSE are not well established.
Researchers based at the University of Edinburgh and UCL (University College London) followed the health of more than 100 children for nine years after they had CSE.
Lasting neurological conditions, including epilepsy, learning disabilities and movement problems were more common than expected for children from the general population, the study found.
Children who had existing neurological or developmental issues at the time of a CSE were more likely to have a neurological problem at follow up, researchers say.
Children without an existing neurological or developmental issue tended to have more positive outcomes.
The findings offer fresh insights into the biological cause of long-term brain conditions in children after CSE and could help doctors decide on treatment for patients.
The study is published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
Richard Chin, Director of the University of Edinburgh's Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre, who led the study, said: "Our study indicates that children with pre-existing neurological conditions are far more likely to experience chronic neurological and cognitive problems following convulsive status epilepticus. This is a very important finding for planning long-term treatment for children whose brains may be more vulnerable to the effects of a prolonged seizure.
"The findings also give hope to families whose children did not have neurological problems before, as the long-term effects of their child's prolonged seizure may not be as marked as might be expected."
Source: Eurekalert
EEG Activity Between Seizures Could Help Physicians Diagnose Childhood Absence Epilepsy
Absence seizures (AS) are brief epileptic events characterized by loss of awareness with subtle motor features. Brain activity is perturbed between seizures.
Advertisement
 Experts Still Trying to Make Sense of How Seizures Start and SpreadEpilepsy is a fairly common neurological disorder that affects 50 million people around the world. In the United States, it affects about 3 million people. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Research News
Tobacco smoke contains toxic chemicals which damage lungs, weaken the immune system and cause tuberculosis.
Identifying an unappreciated relationship between brain shape and activity overturns the century-old paradigm emphasizing the importance of complex brain connectivity.
Decoding the eight factors affecting Black adults' life expectancy.
Sobering truth about foot travel in the United States emerges from international statistics, highlighting the prevalence of walking on the Blacksburg campus.
Unveiling a hidden mechanism, proteins within brain cells exhibit newfound abilities at synapses, reinforcing Darwin's theory of adaptation and diversity in the natural world.