title: Frequency of EEG abnormalities in age-matched siblings of autistic children with abnormal sleep EEG patterns.
abstract: Epileptiform activity in sleep has been described even in the absence of clinical seizures in 43-68% of patients with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs). Genetic factors may play a significant role in the frequency of epilepsy, yet the frequency in normal age-matched controls is unknown. We studied overnight ambulatory electroencephalograms (EEGs) in 12 nonepileptic, nonautistic children with a sibling with both ASDs and an abnormal EEG. EEG studies were read and described independently by two pediatric epileptologists; 10 were normal studies and 2 were abnormal. The occurrence of abnormal EEGs in our sample (16.6%) was lower than the reported occurrence in children with ASDs. Further, the two abnormal EEGs were of types typically found in childhood and were different from those found in the ASD-affected siblings. The lack of similarity between sibling EEGs suggests that genetic factors alone do not explain the higher frequency of EEG abnormalities reported in ASDs.
authors.affiliation: Autism and Epilepsy Specialty Services of Illinois, Ltd., Lake Bluff, IL, USA. mchezmd@sbcglobal.net
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Chez
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aimonovitch
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mrazek
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Krasne
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Langburt
authors.forename: Shoaib
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Memon
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D017286:Polysomnography; D012016:Reference Values; D035781:Siblings; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*