OBJECTIVES: Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with a high rate of epilepsy and subclinical epileptiform activity. High physical connectivity on a microcolumnar level leading to epileptiform activity and low functional informational connectivity are assumed in autism. The aim of this study was to investigate nonlinear EEG brain dynamics in terms of synchronization in a group of children with autism spectrum disorders compared to a control group. We expected a lower degree of synchronization in autistic subjects. METHODS: The autistic group consisted of 27 patients with autism spectrum disorders diagnosed according to ICD-10. The mean age of the sample was 7.1 (SD 3.6) years, 14 of them were mentally retarded. Normal EEG was found in 9 patients, epileptiform EEG in 18 autistic patients. Four patients had a history of epileptic seizures, fully compensated in long term. The control group consisted of 20 children (mean age of 8.4, SD 2.3 years) with normal intelligence, without an epileptic history, investigated within the frame of the research program for cochlear implantation. They had normal neurological examination and suffered from perceptive deafness. Normal EEG was found in 17 of the control subjects, epileptiform EEG was in 3 control subjects. We analyzed night sleep EEG recordings from 10 channels (F3, F4, F7, F8, C3, C4, T3, T4, P3 and P4) with the inclusion of sleep stages NREM 2, 3 and 4 in the subsequent analyses. Coarse-grained entropy information rates between neighbouring electrodes were computed, expressing the synchronization between 11 selected electrode couples. RESULTS: Synchronization was significantly lower in the autistic group in all three examined NREM stages even when age and intelligence were taken into account as covariates. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study confirmed the validity of the underconnectivity model in autism.
The aim of our study was to subcategorize Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) using a multidisciplinary approach. Sixty four autistic patients (mean age 9.4+/-5.6 years) were entered into a cluster analysis. The clustering analysis was based on MRI data. The clusters obtained did not differ significantly in the overall severity of autistic symptomatology as measured by the total score on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). The clusters could be characterized as showing significant differences: Cluster 1: showed the largest sizes of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum (CC), the lowest pregnancy order and the lowest frequency of facial dysmorphic features. Cluster 2: showed the largest sizes of the amygdala and hippocampus (HPC), the least abnormal visual response on the CARS, the lowest frequency of epilepsy and the least frequent abnormal psychomotor development during the first year of life. Cluster 3: showed the largest sizes of the caput of the nucleus caudatus (NC), the smallest sizes of the HPC and facial dysmorphic features were always present. Cluster 4: showed the smallest sizes of the genu and splenium of the CC, as well as the amygdala, and caput of the NC, the most abnormal visual response on the CARS, the highest frequency of epilepsy, the highest pregnancy order, abnormal psychomotor development during the first year of life was always present and facial dysmorphic features were always present. This multidisciplinary approach seems to be a promising method for subtyping autism.
- MeSH
- autistická porucha diagnóza etiologie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- elektroencefalografie přístrojové vybavení MeSH
- epilepsie diagnóza farmakoterapie MeSH
- finanční podpora výzkumu jako téma MeSH
- inteligenční testy MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mentální retardace MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky metody MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- přehledy MeSH
- srovnávací studie MeSH
Pojem "refrakterní epilepsie" je aktuálni ve vztahu k možnostem včasně indikované chirurgické léčby. Je podána predoperační klinická charakteristika našich prvních 63 operovaných nemocných s epilepsií, v období od března 1993 do konce ledna 1996. Pacienti byli indikováni a operováni v rámci činnosti "Pražské skupiny pro chirurgii epilepsie". Soubor našich nemocných je ve svých charakteristikách poznamenán tím, že šlo o prvé pacienty soustavně zaváděného epileptochirurgického programu.
The term "Refractory epilepsy" is used in the relation to the possibility of early surgery. Some pre-operative clinical characteristics of the first 63 epileptic patients who have undergone surgery in the period between March 1993 and the end of January 1996 are discussed. The patients were indicated and operated by the 'Prague Epilepsy Surgery Group". The patients were the very first patients of our systematically initiated epilepsy surgery programme.
- MeSH
- časové faktory MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- léková rezistence MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- neurochirurgie MeSH
- prognóza MeSH
- psychopatologie MeSH
- refrakterní epilepsie chirurgie MeSH
- rizikové faktory MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- MeSH
- amblyopie etiologie terapie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- Enterovirus patogenita MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nemoci očních víček etiologie chirurgie MeSH
- strabismus etiologie chirurgie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- kazuistiky MeSH
