Chapters authored
Neuropsychological Alterations in Children Affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome By Marco Carotenuto, Rosa Marotta, Francesco Precenzano, Maria Ruberto, Lucia Parisi, Beatrice Gallai, Annabella Di Folco, Margherita Salerno, Agata Maltese, Francesca Felicia Operto and Michele Roccella
Sleep-related breathing disorders are a group of clinical conditions ranging from habitual snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) during the lifespan. In children, other risk factors are represented by adenotonsillar hypertrophy, rhinitis, nasal structure alteration, cleft palate, velopharyngeal flap surgery, pharyngeal masses, craniofacial malformations, genetic syndrome (i.e. Down syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, and Apert syndrome), genetic hypoplasia mandibular (i.e. Pierre Robin syndrome, Treacher Collins syndrome, Shy-Drager syndrome, and Cornelia De Lange syndrome), craniofacial traumas, chronic or seasonal rhinitis, asthma, neuromuscular syndromes, brainstem pathologies (i.e. Arnold-Chiari malformation and Joubert syndrome), achondroplasia, and mucopolysaccharidosis. OSAS may affect the executive functioning such as motivational ability, planning, behavior modulation, ability to complete an action program, identification of functional strategies to achieve the goal, problem solving, flexibility, monitoring and self-assessment of behavior in relation to results, change of task, or behavior in the light of emerging information, which may be all impaired by nocturnal intermittent hypoxia also during the developmental age. The clinical presentation of OSAS can mimic other neurobehavioral symptoms, such as ADHD syndrome, learning problems, or can exacerbate the Fragile X syndrome, and generalized non-convulsive epilepsy symptoms.
Part of the book: Updates in Sleep Neurology and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Childhood Absence Epilepsy By Luigi Vetri, Carola Costanza, Margherita Siciliano, Francesco Precenzano, Beatrice Gallai and Marco Carotenuto
Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is a common epilepsy syndrome characterized by absence seizures affecting young children and representing 18% of all diagnosed cases of epilepsy in school-age children. Absence seizures are classically very frequent during the day and each seizure lasts a short time, from about 10 to 20 seconds, it ends abruptly, and awareness and responsiveness are severely impaired. The typical EEG pattern in CAE is a bilateral, synchronous, and symmetrical discharge of complex spike-wave rhythms at 3 Hz (range of 2.5–4 Hz), with sudden onset and termination. CAE is genetically determined, the mode of inheritance and genes involved remain not fully clarified but the final outcome is the dysregulation of cortico-thalamic-cortical circuit that plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of absence seizures. CAE may have an impact on patients’ lives in terms of negative consequences in neurocognitive and neuropsychological aspects that should always be considered during a global evaluation of a child with epilepsy.
Part of the book: Epilepsy During the Lifespan
Epilepsy and Sleep By Carola Costanza, Margherita Siciliano, Beatrice Gallai, Rimma Gamirova and Marco Carotenuto
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, characterized by spontaneous and recurring unprovoked seizures, affecting approximately at least 2% of the global population. Epileptogenesis involves complex and dynamic changes at the molecular, cellular, and network levels within the brain. A critical aspect of this process is the reorganization of neuronal networks, which plays an essential role in the development and perpetuation of epileptic activity. This reorganization includes alterations in synaptic connectivity, neurogenesis, and the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. The relationship between sleep and epilepsy is complex and bidirectional. Sleep can influence seizure occurrence and interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), and conversely, epilepsy and seizures can impact sleep architecture and quality. Insomnia in children with epilepsy is a complex and multifactorial condition involving intricate interactions between neurophysiological, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Understanding the pathophysiology of insomnia in this population requires a comprehensive approach considering the diverse mechanisms contributing to sleep disruption.
Part of the book: Research on Sleep
The Ontogenetic Development of Sleep from the Fetal Period through Adolescence: Functions and Electroencephalogram Characteristics By Gamirova Rimma and Marco Carotenuto
The chapter considers issues of sleep ontogenesis from the prenatal period to adolescence and the neurobiological basis of changes in the structure of sleep as the brain matures, including the neurophysiological features of sleep in newborns, sleep state organization in premature infants, and the importance of fetal/neonatal rapid eye movement sleep for brain development and plasticity. It describes: (а) the dynamics of changes in sleep structure, (b) EEG specificity at different age periods, (c) sleep-related behavioral features in children, (d) biomarkers of normal and abnormal brain function, and (e) the pathophysiology of various childhood sleep disorders.
Part of the book: Research on Sleep
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