Evaluating the Role of Inflammation in Neonatal Epileptogenesis

For participants in the acute symptomatic seizure group:

Inclusion Criteria:

• Neonates <44 weeks corrected age at seizure onset
• Seizures due to acute brain injury
• Parent(s) who are English or Spanish literate (with assistance of interpreter)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neonates at risk for adverse outcome independent of seizures and underlying brain injury
• Neonates with mild, temporary causes for seizures
• Newborns with neonatal-onset epilepsy syndromes
• Neonates who do not survive the initial hospital admission
• Neonates will not be excluded based on race, ethnicity, gender or gestational age

For participants in the control group:

Inclusion Criteria:

• Neonates that are born > 37 weeks and <44 weeks postmenstrual age at enrollment
• Consultation by the pediatric neurology inpatient service due neonatal paroxysmal events, with normal neurologic examination and ultimate diagnosis of non-epileptic spells on continuous video-EEG (ordered for clinical purposes, not for research) OR consultation for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in neonates undergoing therapeutic hypothermia, with early exit from therapy owing to normal neurologic examination, normal continuous video-EEG and uncertain diagnosis of encephalopathy.
• Neonates requiring neurologic consultation for mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) undergoing therapeutic hypothermia, with normal examination, cEEG, and neuroimaging upon rewarming.