4 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is the most common pediatric epilepsy syndrome. Affected children typically have a mild seizure disorder, but yet have moderate difficulties with language, learning and attention that impact quality of life more than the seizures. Separate from the seizures, these children have very frequent abnormal activity in their brain known as interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs, or spikes), which physicians currently do not treat. These IEDs arise near the motor cortex, a region in the brain that controls movement. In this study, the investigators will use a form of non-invasive brain stimulation called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to determine the impact of IEDs on brain regions important for language to investigate: (1) if treatment of IEDs could improve language; and (2) if brain stimulation may be a treatment option for children with epilepsy. Participating children will wear electroencephalogram (EEG) caps to measure brain activity. The investigators will use TMS to stimulate the brain region where the IEDs originate to measure how this region is connected to other brain regions. Children will then receive a special form of TMS called repetitive TMS (rTMS) that briefly reduces brain excitability. The study will measure if IEDs decrease and if brain connectivity changes after rTMS is applied. The investigators hypothesize that the IEDs cause language problems by increasing connectivity between the motor cortex and language regions. The investigators further hypothesize that rTMS will reduce the frequency of IEDs and also reduce connectivity between the motor and language region
The purpose of this study is to determine if having children listen to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448) will lessen the amount of spike discharges on his/her Electroencephalography (EEG). These spike discharges often occur during a 24 hour period in the EEG of a child with Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (BCECTS), or Rolandic Epilepsy. Should there be a decrease in the amount of spike discharges after listening to Mozart's music, this information may lead to new understanding and possible treatments for epilepsy.
This project examines how seizures, and abnormal brain activity, affect language skill in children with Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (BECTS). BECTS is a common type of childhood epilepsy, and while BECTS patients stop having seizures by their late teenage years, many studies have shown that these children have language problems that may lead to academic and social difficulties. Using standardized language testing, monitoring of brain activity, and MRI brain imaging, this project aims to determine what particular combination of BECTS symptoms put children most at risk for language problems and whether treatment with anti-epileptic medications may be helpful.
The investigators are recruiting children with Rolandic epilepsy and children without epilepsy (aged 4 years old and above) for a non-invasive brain imaging study using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetoencephalography/Electroencephalography (MEG/EEG), and experimental tasks. The investigators hope to determine the brain circuits and brain rhythms affected in these children and ultimately identify new treatment options for childhood epilepsy patients.