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Gerstner T, Henning O, Løhaugen G, Skranes J. Frequency of epilepsy and pathological EEG findings in a Norwegian sample of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Impact on cognition and adaptive functioning. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 48:309-318. [PMID: 38105112 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) comprises a combination of developmental, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities that occur in children exposed to alcohol prenatally. A higher prevalence of epilepsy and pathological electroencephalographic (EEG) features have also been reported in individuals with FASD. We examined the frequency of epilepsy, pathological EEG findings, and their implications for cognitive and adaptive functioning in children with FASD. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of 148 children with FASD who underwent a multidisciplinary assessment and a 120-min EEG recording. Group comparisons and regression analyses were performed to test the associations between epilepsy and pathological EEG findings, FASD subgroups and neurocognitive test results and adaptive functioning. RESULTS The frequency of epilepsy was 6%, which compares with 0.7% in Norway overall. Seventeen percent of children without epilepsy had pathological EEG findings. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was diagnosed in 64% of the children. Children with epilepsy and/or pathological EEG findings had comparable cognitive and adaptive scores to those with normal EEG. However, children with frontal EEG pathology (without epilepsy) had significantly lower scores on the IQ indices Processing speed and Working memory than FASD children without such findings, irrespective of ADHD comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS There was a greater prevalence of epilepsy among children with FASD than in the general Norwegian population. A greater frequency of EEG pathology was also evident in children without epilepsy, across all FASD subgroups. Irrespective of epilepsy, ADHD comorbidity, and FASD subgroup, children with frontal EEG pathology, despite having a normal total IQ, showed significantly slower processing speed and poorer working memory, which may indicate specific executive function deficits that could affect learning and adaptive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten Gerstner
- Regional Competence Center for Children with Prenatal Alcohol/Drug Exposure, Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Oliver Henning
- National Centre for Epilepsy, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gro Løhaugen
- Regional Competence Center for Children with Prenatal Alcohol/Drug Exposure, Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway
| | - Jon Skranes
- Regional Competence Center for Children with Prenatal Alcohol/Drug Exposure, Department of Pediatrics, Sørlandet Hospital, Arendal, Norway
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Posar A, Visconti P. Continuous Spike-Waves during Slow Sleep Today: An Update. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:169. [PMID: 38397281 PMCID: PMC10887038 DOI: 10.3390/children11020169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
In the context of childhood epilepsy, the concept of continuous spike-waves during slow sleep (CSWS) includes several childhood-onset heterogeneous conditions that share electroencephalograms (EEGs) characterized by a high frequency of paroxysmal abnormalities during sleep, which have negative effects on the cognitive development and behavior of the child. These negative effects may have the characteristics of a clear regression or of a slowdown in development. Seizures are very often present, but not constantly. The above makes it clear why CSWS have been included in epileptic encephalopathies, in which, by definition, frequent EEG paroxysmal abnormalities have an unfavorable impact on cognitive functions, including socio-communicative skills, causing autistic features, even regardless of the presence of clinically overt seizures. Although several decades have passed since the original descriptions of the electroclinical condition of CSWS, there are still many areas that are little-known and deserve to be further studied, including the EEG diagnostic criteria, the most effective electrophysiological parameter for monitoring the role of the thalamus in CSWS pathogenesis, its long-term evolution, the nosographic location of Landau-Kleffner syndrome, standardized neuropsychological and behavioral assessments, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annio Posar
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOSI Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico, 40139 Bologna, Italy;
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, Bologna University, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Paola Visconti
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOSI Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico, 40139 Bologna, Italy;
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Popova S, Charness ME, Burd L, Crawford A, Hoyme HE, Mukherjee RAS, Riley EP, Elliott EJ. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2023; 9:11. [PMID: 36823161 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-023-00420-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol readily crosses the placenta and may disrupt fetal development. Harm from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is determined by the dose, pattern, timing and duration of exposure, fetal and maternal genetics, maternal nutrition, concurrent substance use, and epigenetic responses. A safe dose of alcohol use during pregnancy has not been established. PAE can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which are characterized by neurodevelopmental impairment with or without facial dysmorphology, congenital anomalies and poor growth. FASD are a leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disability. The prevalence of FASD in 76 countries is >1% and is high in individuals living in out-of-home care or engaged in justice and mental health systems. The social and economic effects of FASD are profound, but the diagnosis is often missed or delayed and receives little public recognition. Future research should be informed by people living with FASD and be guided by cultural context, seek consensus on diagnostic criteria and evidence-based treatments, and describe the pathophysiology and lifelong effects of FASD. Imperatives include reducing stigma, equitable access to services, improved quality of life for people with FASD and FASD prevention in future generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Popova
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Michael E Charness
- VA Boston Healthcare System, West Roxbury, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Larry Burd
- North Dakota Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pediatric Therapy Services, Altru Health System, Grand Forks, ND, USA
| | - Andi Crawford
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - H Eugene Hoyme
- Sanford Children's Genomic Medicine Consortium, Sanford Health, and University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
| | - Raja A S Mukherjee
- National UK FASD Clinic, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Redhill, Surrey, UK
| | - Edward P Riley
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Elliott
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,New South Wales FASD Assessment Service, CICADA Centre for Care and Intervention for Children and Adolescents affected by Drugs and Alcohol, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Bauer W, Dylag KA, Lysiak A, Wieczorek-Stawinska W, Pelc M, Szmajda M, Martinek R, Zygarlicki J, Bańdo B, Stomal-Slowinska M, Kawala-Sterniuk A. Initial study on quantitative electroencephalographic analysis of bioelectrical activity of the brain of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) without epilepsy. Sci Rep 2023; 13:109. [PMID: 36596841 PMCID: PMC9810692 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26590-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are spectrum of neurodevelopmental conditions associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. The FASD manifests mostly with facial dysmorphism, prenatal and postnatal growth retardation, and selected birth defects (including central nervous system defects). Unrecognized and untreated FASD leads to severe disability in adulthood. The diagnosis of FASD is based on clinical criteria and neither biomarkers nor imaging tests can be used in order to confirm the diagnosis. The quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) is a type of EEG analysis, which involves the use of mathematical algorithms, and which has brought new possibilities of EEG signal evaluation, among the other things-the analysis of a specific frequency band. The main objective of this study was to identify characteristic patterns in QEEG among individuals affected with FASD. This study was of a pilot prospective study character with experimental group consisting of patients with newly diagnosed FASD and of the control group consisting of children with gastroenterological issues. The EEG recordings of both groups were obtained, than analyzed using a commercial QEEG module. As a results we were able to establish the dominance of the alpha rhythm over the beta rhythm in FASD-participants compared to those from the control group, mostly in frontal and temporal regions. Second important finding is an increased theta/beta ratio among patients with FASD. These findings are consistent with the current knowledge on the pathological processes resulting from the prenatal alcohol exposure. The obtained results and conclusions were promising, however, further research is necessary (and planned) in order to validate the use of QEEG tools in FASD diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waldemar Bauer
- grid.9922.00000 0000 9174 1488Department of Automatic Control and Robotics, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Anna Dylag
- St. Louis Children Hospital in Krakow, 30-663 Kraków, Poland ,grid.5522.00000 0001 2162 9631Department of Pathophysiology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow – Collegium Medicum, 31-121 Kraków, Poland
| | - Adam Lysiak
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
| | | | - Mariusz Pelc
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland ,grid.36316.310000 0001 0806 5472School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Greenwich, London, SE10 9LS UK
| | - Miroslaw Szmajda
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
| | - Radek Martinek
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland ,grid.440850.d0000 0000 9643 2828Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, VSB—Technical University Ostrava—FEECS, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslaw Zygarlicki
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
| | - Bożena Bańdo
- St. Louis Children Hospital in Krakow, 30-663 Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Aleksandra Kawala-Sterniuk
- grid.440608.e0000 0000 9187 132XFaculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control and Informatics, Opole University of Technology, 45-758 Opole, Poland
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Dyląg KA, Wieczorek W, Bauer W, Walecki P, Bando B, Martinek R, Kawala-Sterniuk A. Pilot Study on Analysis of Electroencephalography Signals from Children with FASD with the Implementation of Naive Bayesian Classifiers. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 22:103. [PMID: 35009650 PMCID: PMC8747358 DOI: 10.3390/s22010103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this paper Naive Bayesian classifiers were applied for the purpose of differentiation between the EEG signals recorded from children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders (FASD) and healthy ones. This work also provides a brief introduction to the FASD itself, explaining the social, economic and genetic reasons for the FASD occurrence. The obtained results were good and promising and indicate that EEG recordings can be a helpful tool for potential diagnostics of FASDs children affected with it, in particular those with invisible physical signs of these spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Anna Dyląg
- St. Louis Children Hospital, 31-503 Krakow, Poland; (K.A.D.); (B.B.)
- Department of Pathophysiology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow—Collegium Medicum, 31-121 Krakow, Poland
| | - Wiktoria Wieczorek
- Department of Bioinformatics and Telemedicine, Jagiellonian University in Krakow—Collegium Medicum, 30-688 Krakow, Poland; (W.W.); (P.W.)
| | - Waldemar Bauer
- Department of Automatic Control and Robotics, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Piotr Walecki
- Department of Bioinformatics and Telemedicine, Jagiellonian University in Krakow—Collegium Medicum, 30-688 Krakow, Poland; (W.W.); (P.W.)
| | - Bozena Bando
- St. Louis Children Hospital, 31-503 Krakow, Poland; (K.A.D.); (B.B.)
| | - Radek Martinek
- Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, VSB—Technical University Ostrava—FEECS, 708 00 Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic;
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Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Lancet Neurol 2019; 18:760-770. [PMID: 31160204 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(19)30150-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Although prenatal alcohol exposure causes craniofacial anomalies, growth retardation, neurological abnormalities, cognitive impairment, and birth defects, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is underdiagnosed. Global prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is 0·77%, with a higher prevalence of 2-5% in Europe and North America, highlighting the need for increased diagnosis and treatment. However, diagnosis remains challenging because of the poor reliability of self-reported maternal drinking histories, an absence of sensitive biomarkers, and the infrequency of diagnostic dysmorphic facial features among individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Different diagnostic systems and disagreements over criteria have slowed progress in the diagnosis and management of the disorder. Neuroimaging shows abnormalities in brain structure, cortical development, white matter microstructure, and functional connectivity in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. These abnormalities modify developmental trajectories and are associated with deficits in cognition, executive function, memory, vision, hearing, motor skills, behaviour, and social adaptation. Promising trials of nutritional interventions and cognitive rehabilitation therapies are underway, with the aim of treating cognitive deficits in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
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Todd D, Bonthius DJ, Sabalo LM, Roghair J, Karacay B, Bousquet SL, Bonthius DJ. Regional Patterns of Alcohol-Induced Neuronal Loss Depend on Genetics: Implications for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018; 42:1627-1639. [PMID: 29957842 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol exposure during pregnancy can kill developing neurons and lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). However, affected individuals differ in their regional patterns of alcohol-induced neuropathology. Because neuroprotective genes are expressed in spatially selective ways, their mutation could increase the vulnerability of some brain regions, but not others, to alcohol teratogenicity. The objective of this study was to determine whether a null mutation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) can increase the vulnerability of some brain regions, but not others, to alcohol-induced neuronal losses. METHODS Immunohistochemistry identified brain regions in which nNOS is present or absent throughout postnatal development. Mice genetically deficient for nNOS (nNOS-/- ) and wild-type controls received alcohol (0.0, 2.2, or 4.4 mg/g/d) over postnatal days (PD) 4 to 9. Mice were sacrificed in adulthood (~PD 115), and surviving neurons in the olfactory bulb granular layer and brain stem facial nucleus were quantified stereologically. RESULTS nNOS was expressed throughout postnatal development in olfactory bulb granule cells but was never expressed in the facial nucleus. In wild-type mice, alcohol reduced neuronal survival to similar degrees in both cell populations. However, null mutation of nNOS more than doubled alcohol-induced cell death in the olfactory bulb granule cells, while the mutation had no effect on the facial nucleus neurons. As a result, in nNOS-/- mice, alcohol caused substantially more cell loss in the olfactory bulb than in the facial nucleus. CONCLUSIONS Mutation of the nNOS gene substantially increases vulnerability to alcohol-induced cell loss in a brain region where the gene is expressed (olfactory bulb), but not in a separate brain region, where the gene is not expressed (facial nucleus). Thus, differences in genotype may explain why some individuals are vulnerable to FASD, while others are not, and may determine the specific patterns of neuropathology in children with FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Todd
- Neuroscience Program , Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | | | - Lia Marie Sabalo
- Department of Pediatrics , Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Jasmine Roghair
- Department of Pediatrics , Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Bahri Karacay
- Department of Pediatrics , Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | | | - Daniel J Bonthius
- Neuroscience Program , Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,Department of Pediatrics , Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,Department of Neurology , Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
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