title: Neonatal seizure automatism and human inborn pattern of quadrupedal locomotion.
abstract: Seizures in newborns do not always show a clear electro-clinical correlation. The real epileptic nature of some stereotyped rhythmic movements, included in the 'subtle seizures' and considered as brainstem release phenomena, is still debated. We report a brain injured newborn, who displayed several episodes of repetitive limb movements. The ictal EEG discharge, during one of these episodes, was associated with a motor pattern modification, which was endowed with quadrupedal locomotion kinematic features. This might represent an indirect evidence of cervical and lumbar Central Pattern Generators interconnection with in-phase coordination between diagonal limbs since the first hours of life in humans.
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy. Electronic address: elena.pavlidis2@gmail.com.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pavlidis
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Life and Reproduction Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cantalupo
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Engineering, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cattani
authors.affiliation: University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Tassinari
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pisani
mesh_terms: D001332:Automatism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D063226:Central Pattern Generators / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D020938:Epilepsy, Partial, Motor / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005121:Extremities; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Central pattern generators; Inter-limb coordination; Neonatal seizures; Newborn locomotion; Subtle seizures