Hippocampal abnormalities and sudden childhood death

Seizure-related deaths in children: The expanding spectrum

Although seizures are common in children, they are often overlooked as a potential cause of death. Febrile and nonfebrile seizures can be fatal in children with or without an epilepsy diagnosis and may go unrecognized by parents or physicians. Sudden unexpected infant deaths, sudden unexplained death in childhood, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy share clinical, neuropathological, and genetic features, including male predominance, unwitnessed deaths, death during sleep, discovery in the prone position, hippocampal abnormalities, and variants in genes regulating cardiac and neuronal excitability. Additionally, epidemiological studies reveal that miscarriages are more common among individuals with a personal or family history of epilepsy, suggesting that some fetal losses may result from epileptic factors. The spectrum of seizure-related deaths in pediatrics is wide and underappreciated; accurately estimating this mortality and understanding its mechanism in children is critical to developing effective education and interventions to prevent these tragedies.

Chemistry and Effects of Brainstem Acting Drugs

BACKGROUND

Brain is the most sensitive organ, whereas brainstem is the most important part of Central Nervous System (CNS). It connects the brain and the spinal cord. However, a myriad of drugs and chemicals affects CNS with severe resultant effects on the brainstem.

METHODS

In view of this, a number of literature were assessed for information on the most sensitive part of brain, drugs and chemicals that act on the brainstem and clinical benefit and risk assessment of such drugs and chemicals.

RESULTS

Findings have shown that brainstem regulates heartbeat, respiration and because it connects the brain and spinal cord, all the drugs that act on the spinal cord may overall affect the systems controlled by the spinal cord and brain. The message is sent and received by temporal lobe, occipital lobe, frontal lobe, parietal lobe and cerebellum.

CONCLUSION

Hence, the chemical functional groups of the brainstem and drugs acting on brainstem are complementary, and may produce either stimulation or depression of CNS.