Evaluation of Epilepsy in patients with syndromic craniostenosis

• Grant number: 21/00414-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Enrico Ghizoni
• Grantee: Daniela Alves Gulhote
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07559-3 - BRAINN - The Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Craniostenosis is a condition caused by congenital changes that lead to premature closure of cranial sutures in children. This developmental change is relatively rare and can be divided into two groups: syndromic and non-syndromic. The association between brain parenchymal malformations and changes in intracranial physiology makes these patients prone to epileptiform disorders. Epilepsy is brain dysfunction that reflects a predisposition to epileptic seizures, that is, clinical events that present a temporary dysfunction in individuals who have a hyperexcitable neuronal network. Patients with Apert syndrome, and sporadically those with other syndromes, have several brain malformations seen on MRI, among them it is very common to find malformed and poorly rotated hippocampi. Despite the MRI findings, there are few data available on the prevalence of epilepsy in this population, epileptic syndrome, and natural history of seizures, among others. The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of epilepsy in a population with craniostenosis and to correlate it with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the influence of surgery on epilepsy-associated craniostenosis. (AU)