Babies born early are at an increased risk of seizures. These seizures may mimic those that we commonly refer to as convulsions or fits, however, they also may be silent and go undetected. The mainstay management of babies suspected of being at risk of developing seizures is to monitor them for the first three days of life with electroencephalography (EEG). This is a device that records the electrical activity of the brain. Management may be improved by cooling the body temperature of the baby and if seizures occur medication such as phenobarbital, an anti-seizure medication, may be given to terminate the seizure. How these seizures evolve over space and time within the brain is not well understood. We therefore plan to monitor electrical changes in the brain of babies suspected of being at risk of seizures over space and time and see how cooling and different medications affect these changes. By understanding precisely how these seizures develop we hope that we might be able to determine the best management for babies in relation to using cooling and anti-seizure medications.
This research could also help improve detection algorithms, thereby permitting earlier detection, and earlier and more appropriate intervention to improve the quality of life of the affected babies.
