Child EEG (and maturation)

Abstract

EEG changes during the perinatal period, infancy, childhood, and adolescence are concomitant with brain growth, myelination, expanding connectivity, and overall maturation, which are particularly fast during the first year of life. EEG aspects of early brain development are accessible in preterm during the third trimester of gestational age, and they evolve to full-term, infancy, and childhood EEG patterns. Each of these age periods shares specific EEG features that reach gross adult outlines in the first year. Interpreting EEG needs therefore a deep knowledge of pathological and normal EEG patterns with their variants belonging to each age range. Recording EEG during these periods also requires adapting the recording techniques to the specific age in order to obtain interpretable records. This chapter describes normal EEG features and variants, characteristic patterns of development, and some patterns that are unusual for age, from the neonatal period to adolescence.

Keywords: EEG; EEG pattern; Electroencephalogram; Maturation; Neonatology; Normal variants.