Abnormal EEG in Autistic Patients without Any History of Clinical Seizures

Background: There is insufficient information regarding whether epileptic manifestations, in the absence of seizures, contribute to the development of autism symptoms. Electroencephalography (EEG) is the most widely used tool for diagnosing epileptic brain activity. Despite the possibility of the simultaneous manifestation of epilepsy with autism, it cannot be accurately said that epileptic activity, in the absence of seizures, contributes to the emergence of autism symptoms. Therefore, it is important to investigate the prevalence of epileptic activity in non-epileptic people with autism. The purpose of this research was to examine the EEG of autistic patients without a history of clinical seizures to determine anomalies. Method: The studied population consisted of children between ۱ and ۱۸ years of age with autism who had referred to the neurology clinic of the hospital and the neurology office in ۲۰۲۲. Cases with a history of clinical seizures were excluded from the study. Results: A total of ۵۰ children were studied. The results of ۶۴% of EEG cases showed anomalies. A significant relationship was found between birth type and EEG result. As, in natural delivery, ۷۷% of the results of EEG had anomalies (p=۰.۰۴۸). EEG results showed anomalies in ۶۱% of people who did not have problems at birth and ۷۱.۴% of those who had problems at birth. Conclusion: This study showed that a significant percentage of children with autism spectrum disorder and no history of clinical seizures have abnormal EEGs that should be investigated in terms of manifestations related to epilepsy.

Keywords:

Autism , , , , , clinical seizures , , , , , EEG