Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036572 (seizures)
 80,221 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A method of automatic recognition and quantification of inter-ictal epileptic activity in the human EEG had previously been developed and tested using short recordings from awake subjects. This paper describes the adaptation of the method for use during overnight recordings in free-moving unattended patients, in combination with the already existing seizure monitoring system. EEG s were recorded from scalp and sphenoidal electrodes, using cable telemetry and a PDP-12 computer. The spike and sharp wave recognition method allowed the on-line analysis of 16 channels. A section of the 16-channel EEG including 1 sec before and 1 sec after each detected spike was saved on digital magnetic tape. Upon completion of the monitoring session, the tape was played back on the EEG machine, giving a discontinuous tracing of spike sections; this constituted a highly concentrated view of the inter-ictal epileptic activity, in traditional paper form. The spike sections were further analyzed by computer to determine and display on the computer terminal the spatial and temporal distributions of the epileptic activity, providing a complete synopsis of the recording. Several examples of the type of information available from this anslysis are discussed in detail. False detection rates are given for 34 six hour recordings, indicating a high vari ability in the performance, mainly because of artefacts. It is concluded that the final computer displays could only be trusted after visual inspection of the EEG sections provided on paper. The variety of morphologies of artefacts appeared to preclude a total automatic elimination.
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PMID:Automatic recognition of inter-ictal epileptic activity in prolonged EEG recordings. 8 39

Barbiturates, such as phenobarbital (PHB), are often used during pregnancy and early neonatal life to prevent epileptic seizures, hyperbilirubinemia and the stressful effects of labor. However, the long-term consequences of barbiturate exposure during the prenatal and neonatal periods have not been fully investigated. Several studies have indicated that phenobarbital does affect the resulting morphology and neurochemistry of various components of the central nervous system. In the present study we have investigated the effects of 3 days of prenatal phenobarbital administration (days 18-20 of gestation) on the growth and development of dendrites within the CA1 region of the hippocampus in the rat. Pups were sacrificed on days 5, 10, 23, and 35 of postnatal age and the brains were processed for Golgi impregnation of neurons. The terminal and non-terminal segments of apical and basal dendrites of neurons within the CA1 region of the hippocampus were analyzed with the aid of a scanning stage on a Zeiss universal photomicroscope and a PDP 11/23 microcomputer. In general, results indicated that 3 days of prenatal PHB severely suppresses the development of the dendritic tree which normally takes place during the first 35 days of postnatal life. There are significantly less branch points and the overall dendritic length of both apical and basal dendrites is reduced. These results indicate that prenatal PHB, even for short periods of time, affects the normal morphological development of the hippocampus. Thus, the utilization of PHB in the treatment of various human prenatal disorders should be questioned.
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PMID:The influence of prenatal phenobarbital exposure on the growth of dendrites in the rat hippocampus. 322 27