Prolonged and unprolonged complex febrile seizures differently affect frontal theta brain activity
Article [Accepted Manuscript]
Abstract(s)
Objective: Studies have identified persistent cognitive and functional deficits, which could be
linked to each other, in children with complex febrile seizures (FS). Our aim was to investigate
differences in brain activity in children with a history of complex FS, through a study paradigm
associated with the development of learning capacities and using electroencephalographic
(EEG) signal. To further increase our understanding of these differences, complex FS were
studied separately depending on their type.
Method: EEG was recorded in 43 children with past FS. Brain activity associated with auditory
learning was investigated using a habituation paradigm, in which repetition suppression (RS) is
typically found following stimulus repetition. Auditory stimuli were repeated three times, and
each presentation were analysed separately in the time-frequency (TF) domain. A mixedanalysis of variance was used to assess differences in spectral power between stimulus repetition
and FS type (simple vs complex prolonged; CP vs complex unprolonged; CUP).
Results: Repetition effects were found in the 3-6 Hz during 150-600ms time window after
stimulus onset at frontal sites (F(2, 40)=5.645, p=0.007, η2p=0.220). Moreover, an interaction
effect between stimulus repetition and FS type (F(4, 80)=2.607, p=0.042, η2p=0.115) was
found. Children with CP FS showed greater increase in spectral power in response to the first
stimulus presentation, while children with CUP FS failed to show a RS pattern.
Significance: Our results show distinct abnormalities in brain activity to a habituation paradigm.
We argue that these changes suggest children with CP FS may be hyperexcitable, while children
with CUP FS show impaired habituation processes. Still, these differences may be associated
with other clinical features linked to complex FS as well. Hence, the role of these differences in
complex FS incidence and prognosis should be the subject of future studies.
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