2025, Volume 18, Issue 3, pp 246 – 256

Electroencephalographic aspects and phenotypic characteristics in children with autism

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues

Authors and Affiliations

Corresponding author Alexandru Capisizu, Dr. Constantin Gorgos Psychiatry Hospital, Bucharest, Romania. Division of Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of Functional Studies, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania. E-mail: alexandru.capisizu@umfcd.ro

Abstract

Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that affects many individuals around the world, with a constantly increasing prevalence. The association between autism and electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities in children suggests a worse evolution of clinical features. A retrospective study was conducted, including 101 children with autism who underwent clinical and neurological examination and wake electroencephalography. This study aimed to examine EEG abnormalities in children with autism, identify phenotypic characteristics associated with these abnormalities, asses their clinical relevance, and determine potential phenotypic correlations. The results showed that 10.89% of the patients in the study presented EEG abnormalities, similar to those of other studies that used wake EEG. Of these patients, 18.18% presented epileptic-type discharges, such as spike and wave complexes, and 81.81% presented non-epileptic-type abnormalities, such as bursts of slow waves, generalized or focal. Regarding the phenotypic profile of the patients with EEG abnormalities, 45.45% had a positive family history, 63.63% presented with dysmorphic features and 27.27% presented with gait disturbance. This study shows that some children with autism present multiple EEG abnormalities and diverse phenotypic traits in terms of personal and family history, dysmorphic features, and neurological examination. Identifying EEG abnormalities can improve clinical decisions with complex treatment and monitoring of co-occurring conditions like epilepsy. The use of accessible, effective, and noninvasive assessment tools, such as EEG recordings and neurological examinations in children with autism, can provide valuable support for improved case management.

Keywords

About this article

PMC ID: 12022731
PubMed ID: 
DOI: 10.25122/jml-2025-0053

Article Publishing Date (print): 3 2025
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues