Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, and
Program in Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Frances E. Jensen, MD, Department of Neurology,
CLS 14073, Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Ave,
Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel.: +1 617 919 2445; Fax: +1 617 919 2769; E-mail:
frances.jensen@childrens.harvard.edu
Abstract: Neonatal seizures are inherently different from seizures in the
child and the adult. The phenotype, often exhibiting electroclinical
dissociation, is unique: neonatal seizures can be refractory to antiepileptic
drugs otherwise effect for older patients. Recent experimental and human-based
research reveals that the mechanism of neonatal seizures, as well as their
long-term sequelae on later brain development, appears to involve a large
number of age-specific factors. These observations help explain the resistance
of neonatal seizures to conventional therapy as well as identify potential
areas of risk for later neurocognitive development. Emerging targets from this
research may suggest new therapies for this unique population of patients.
