Self Limited Familial and Non-Familial Neonatal Infantile Seizures

The epilepsy syndrome of self-limited neonatal-infantile seizures used to be known as benign familial or non-familial neonatal-infantile seizures. Seizures begin in the first several months of life in an otherwise healthy infant. Typical seizure onset is between 2 days and 7 months of life. This type of epilepsy can affect infants in different ways. Some infants may have changes in thinking or cognitive problems as well as seizures. They may also have problems with balance and coordination.

There is no difference in the electrical patterns on EEG or the features of neonatal-infantile seizures that have a familial or non-familial pattern. The only difference is the presence of family history of seizures. If no family history is present, it is thought the genetic change causing this condition occurred for the first time in the child (termed de novo).

How often this syndrome occurs in not know. This may be due in part to the overlap between this condition and self-limited neonatal and infantile seizures.

Males and females are equally affected by this condition. Changes in several different genes has been seen in children with self-limited familial and non-familial neonatal-infantile seizures.

• An autosomal dominant expression pattern has been seen - this means that a change in only one copy of the gene is needed to cause the condition.
• The two genes most commonly identified include KCNQ2 and SCN2A.
• Children with an identified SCN2A mutation are more likely to have seizure begin after six months of age.