The contribution of EEG to the understanding of neonatal seizures.

The neonatal EEG is a thread that has linked past and present studies of neonatal seizures that have emerged over the last several decades. Instead of experiencing a waning of value or interest, the neonatal EEG has grown in significance for characterization and quantification of seizures in the neonate. At present, it serves as the ideal theoretical end point of antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy and provides invaluable prognostic information in the analysis of its interictal EEG background. The needs of the near future are to learn the real behavior of the electrographic neonatal seizure (ENS) burden as it erupts on the scene of an acute encephalopathy. The response of the neonatal seizure burden to AED treatment requires careful quantitative description and reliable, automated ENS detection by cerebral function monitors, which are on the technologic horizon.