Magnetoencephalography in Absence Seizures

Background:

• An absence seizure is a type of seizure that usually begins in childhood and goes away by early adulthood. Scientists do not yet know where absence seizures begin in the brain. Some evidence suggests that these seizures begin in the thalamus, a structure deep in the brain, but other studies suggest that they begin in the frontal cortex, at the front part of the brain.
• Magnetoencephalography is a type of brain scanning procedure that is useful in determining information about what happens to the brain during epileptic seizures. Understanding where absence seizures come from may help doctors find new treatments for them.

Objectives:

• To gain a better understanding of which parts of the brain are affected in absence seizures.

Eligibility:

• Patients 7 to 35 years of age who have been diagnosed with absence seizures.

Design:

• Procedures are for research purposes only, not to diagnose or treat a particular medical condition.
• Two outpatient visits to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center: evaluation and scanning.
• Researchers will evaluate potential participants with a medical history, physical examination, and electroencephalography (EEG). These tests will be performed under another protocol, 01-N-0139.
• Patients will undergo magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. The study procedures will be performed one time; however, an MEG or MRI scan may need to be repeated for technical reasons. Researchers will not do more than two MEG or MRI scans.
• The MEG will record very small magnetic field changes produced by the activity of the brain. An EEG will be recorded at the same time as the MEG.
• The MRI will use a magnetic field to take pictures of the inside of the brain.
• The MEG will take 3 hours to complete (2 hours for preparation, 1 hour in the scanner). The MRI will take approximately 1 hour.