Helping the Helpless - UCC research helps to provide an early diagnosis of seizures in babies
Parents of newborn babies do all they can to ensure that their new arrival is cared for in the best possible way. Inoculations are taken for various diseases; they are kept warm (but not too warm) and made to sleep on their back to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. And they are fed, clothed, played with, and loved, such that the environment they grow up in will provide them with an ideal start to their young lives.
But, unfortunately, good parenting cannot deal with every eventuality. Up to three in every 1000 babies that are born after a full-term pregnancy falls prey to seizures, the effects of which can vary from the mild to the extremely serious. Such seizures may be caused through oxygen deficiency or other difficult-to-control factors. When babies are born prematurely the likelihood of a seizure rises dramatically, such that up to 15% of babies born earlier than planned may experience a seizure of some kind. Such figures may actually underestimate the true picture, since the identification of seizures is hampered both by the normal, erratic movements that are typical of newborn children, and also because young children are not able to inform us about their symptoms and complaints. Clearly, it is crucial to detect such seizures, or understand what happens before a seizure occurs, as quickly as possible to reduce the harm that would otherwise result.
The most common method of detecting seizures is electroencephalography (EEG), a technique that measures electronic activity in the brain caused by the firing of nerve cells, or neurons, via electrodes that are attached to the scalp. However, the technique requires expensive equipment and highly specialised personnel in order to be effective. Now, an interdisciplinary group of investigators from University College Cork (UCC) have joined together to produce a new EEG-based seizure-detection system, which utilises a simple operating procedure, produces easy-to-interpret feedback, and, importantly, yields reliable and accurate information, such that important information can be obtained without the need for an expert in brain function to be employed. Their technology has recently been awarded joint first prize in the inaugural UCC Research Commercialisation Awards.
“The key to effective treatment is an early determination of seizure events”, explained Dr. Geraldine Boylan, whose research in the UCC School of Medicine is funded in part through an SFI Research Frontiers Programme award. “Such early detection will provide enormous benefits and greater long-term outcomes for the most vulnerable members of the population”. Dr. Boylan’s team, working in the field of neonatal brain research, have collaborated on this project with UCC’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, whose researchers, including Drs. Gordon Lightbody and Liam Marnane, are part of an SFI Strategic Research Cluster that looks to develop “smart” sensors. The technology that was developed by this team has now been extended to allow adult patients at significant risk of seizures and epilepsy to be monitored, in both the hospital environment and, crucially, at home.
For more information see:
http://www.ucc.ie/en/neonatalbrain/
http://www.ucc.ie/en/eedsp/
