The purpose of this study evaluate the relationship between inflammation and epilepsy in neonates with seizures after birth.
Seizures are a common symptom of neurologic dysfunction in the neonatal period, affecting more than 16,000 newborns in the United States per year. Over 25% of neonates with acute symptomatic seizures develop post- neonatal epilepsy (PNE), which is often resistant to medical therapies. There is a critical need to identify those patients most at risk for PNE and understand the mechanisms by which early seizures increase the propensity for recurrent seizures, in hopes of identifying novel therapeutic targets in this population. There is increasing evidence for the role of neuro-inflammation in the development of epilepsy. Levels of cytokines and micro-RNA (miRNA) may serve as markers of disease severity and have been implicated in epileptogenesis in animal models. The purpose of this study is to evaluate plasma cytokine and miRNA levels after neonatal-onset acute symptomatic seizures and determine their association with acute seizure severity and PNE.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
72
Evaluation of plasma inflammatory markers including cytokines and micro-RNA.
Regarding epilepsy and development.
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland
Oakland, California, United States
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
University of Michigan, Mott Children's Hospital
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Seizure burden
Investigators will evaluate the seizure burden from the initial diagnostic electroencephalogram (EEG) after birth by determining the average number of seizures per hour.
Time frame: At study entry
Percentage of participants diagnosed with epilepsy
The investigators will determine the proportion of participants who develop clinical and or electrographic seizures.
Time frame: 24 months of age
Percentage of participants diagnosed with epilepsy
The investigators will determine the proportion of participants who develop clinical and or electrographic seizures.
Time frame: 12 months of age
Epilepsy Severity
The investigators will administer an investigator-developed questionnaire designed to define the frequency of seizures (monthly, weekly, daily, or greater than daily).
Time frame: 12 months of age
Epilepsy Severity
The investigators will administer an investigator-developed questionnaire designed to define the frequency of seizures (monthly, weekly, daily, or greater than daily).
Time frame: 24 months of age
Warner Initial Developmental Evaluation of Adaptive and Functional Skills (WIDEA-FS)
The Warner Initial Developmental Evaluation of Adaptive and Functional Skills (WIDEA-FS) will be assessed at 12 months of age. The score ranges from 50 to 200 with higher scores associated with normal development.
Time frame: Assessment takes up to 15 minutes and will be conducted at 12 months of age
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Warner Initial Developmental Evaluation of Adaptive and Functional Skills (WIDEA-FS)
The Warner Initial Developmental Evaluation of Adaptive and Functional Skills (WIDEA-FS) will be assessed at 24 months of age. The score ranges from 50 to 200 with higher scores associated with normal development.
Time frame: Assessment takes up to 15 minutes and will be conducted at 24 months of age