title: Seizures early in life.
abstract: The immature central nervous system (CNS) should not be considered a miniature of the adult CNS. Seizures and epilepsy affect infants and children more than any other age group. Seizures can manifest themselves differently, depending on age, and can have age-dependent outcomes on development and behavior. Precocious development of excitatory synapses, delayed development of inhibition, and delayed maturation of seizure-modifying circuits are some of the proposed mechanisms that explain the susceptibility to seizures in infants and children. All these factors must be considered when a treatment plan is formulated, including the use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) for infants and children. Future directions should include the development of age-specific models and clinical trials to study seizures and epilepsy in people of all ages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Einstein/Montefiore Epilepsy Management Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Moshé
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D013997:Time Factors