Pediatric Neurology Part I: Chapter 7. Developmental aspects of normal EEG (Handbook of Clinical Neurology)

In pediatrics recording of EEG can range from premature infants aged just 25 weeks of gestation to young adults. Recording EEG in pediatrics ranges from 25 weeks of gestation premature in the incubator to young adults. Hence, recording conditions need to be adapted to very different situations, not only of age but also of environment, asepsis, and behavior.This requires that recording conditions be adapted to very different situations, not only of age but also of environment, asepsis and behavior. The two major determinants of EEG features are the level of vigilance and age. Standard examination includes spontaneous sleep until the age of 5 years, and hyperventilation and intermittent light stimulation in older children. Hyperventilation may modify the tracing in a physiological way until adolescence. One of the major characteristics of a child's EEG recording is its course over time that parallels rapid brain maturation. EEG changes are particularly rapid in early age and they involve both temporal and spatial organization. In premature babies modifications appear by two 2 weeks, in infancy by 1 month and in childhood by 1 year, before reaching the adult patterns at an age varying between 8 and 12 years of age. Apart from being aware of the normal EEG patterns according to thein children of different ages, it is important to recognize unusual patterns that are not linked to a pathological situation. Most important are the interpretation and the conclusion of the EEG tracing and any conclusions reached, for which and a precise knowledge besides clinical information is mandatory for this purpose is essential.