title: Maturation of the human brain and epilepsy.
abstract: All features of childhood epilepsy are intimately related to brain development. The clinical EEG features of seizures are closely related to developmental changes in cell growth, synapse formation, and myelination. The immature brain is highly excitable due to the depolarizing effects of GABA, overexpression of glutamatergic receptors, and lack of efficient inhibitory control. Seizures have an age-specific effect on brain development.Whereas early life seizures rarely result in cell loss, they can induce changes in synapse organization and receptor physiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH, USA. Gregory.L.Holmes@Dartmouth.edu
authors.forename: Gregory L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: M D Mathieu
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Milh
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dulac
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology*; D058256:Brain Waves / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism