[A study of spontaneous arousal in the newborn (author's transl)]. / Etude de l'éveil spontané du nouveau-né.

Awakening was studied in 15 newborn babies using polygraphic recording to monitor the EEG, eye movements, the EMG activity of muscles of the face (frontal, periorbital and jaw) and to study the respiratory and cardiac rhythms. Twenty arousals, characterized by crying or by eye opening, lasting 2 min were isolated. The two sorts of awakening could be observed in the same child. The study of different parameters during the minutes which precede waking shows that this always happens in agitated sleep, either in a phase of muscular relaxation (9 times), or in a phase of agitation (11 times) characterized by the presence of a phasic EMG activity in the face muscles and brusque movements of the head, the limbs and the body, without tonic activity. This isolated phasic muscle activity, however, was typical of agitated sleep and did not constitute a sign of pre-awakening. Awakening was unpredictable, characterized essentially by a prolonged opening of the eyes, crying, and by the return to tonic muscular activity associated with phasic activity. No relation was observed between the mode of awakening and the type of agitated sleep which preceded.

[Sleep states and oxymetry in neonates (author's transl)]. / Stades de sommeil et oxygénation du nouveau-né.

We have performed continuous recording of cutaneous PO2 (cPO2) together with a polygraphic recording of sleep in 12 normal premature babies, 36-38 weeks of post-conceptional age. In all babies, cPO2 was significantly lower (77.2 +/- 23.2) and more variable in active sleep than in quiet sleep (81.8 +/- 24.6). This difference is significantly related to the more numerous apneas, to the asynchronism of thoracic and abdominal movements, and to the motor activity with important irregularities of ventilation observed during the stage of active sleep.

[Clinical and electrophysiological evolution of infants presenting with partial seizures before the age of two months (author's transl)]. / Evolution électro-clinique du nourrisson ayant présenté des crises partielles avant l'age de 2 mois.

The study was carried out on 28 children: 18 with partial seizures in the first five days of life, and among them 4 with status epilepticus; 7 had focal seizures between the first and eight week, 3 generalised tonic seizures with assymetrical EEGs. A clinical and electro-physiological study was carried out at the time of onset, 1 month later and again at 4 months. The results of the clinical and EEG examinations showed: -firstly during the seizures, the gravity of neonatal status epilepticus and of certain EEG patterns, the lack of localising value of seizures and of electroencephalographic critical discharges whereas permanent assymetry of background activity can precede by several months the appearance of clinical signs. -at the examination one month later the prognostic importance of definite neurological signs always associated with EEG abnormalities whereas some isolated EEG abnormalities do not have any prognostic value as far cerebral maturation is concerned. -at the final examination: the possibility after 4 months of age, of focal neurological signs not present at the earlier examinations. This study underlines the importance of precise electroclinical correlations at different developmental stages, specifically at one and four months of age in children with neonatal seizures.

[The E.E.G. of herpes encephalitis in children: 3 cases including one neonate (author's transl)]. / L'E.E.G. des encéphalites herpétiques chez l'enfant (à propos de trois cas dont un nouveau-né.

The authors report 3 cases of herpes encephalitis in children aged respectively 15 days, 12 months and 18 months. In all 3 cases E.E.G. activity of a periodic nature was noted, which was continuous or intermittent, lateralised or focal in the temporal region, appearing from the 4th to 7th day. The periodicity (of the E.E.G. complex) was short and their stereotyped appearance particularly unusual in babies. In all 3 children convulsive seizures occurred before the discovery of the periodic activity. The latter was found to change in morphology and timing during the seizures. The disease process led to death of the neonate, and recovery with serious sequellae in the other two children. Possible relationships between the transitory nature of the periodic acitivity, the age and the eventual course of the disease, were discussed.

[Electroencephalographic features during enflurane anaesthesia in older children (author's transl)]. / Aspects électroencéphalographiques au cours de l'anesthésie a l'enflurane chez le grand enfant.

The authors report electroclinical changes observed during Enflurane anaesthesia, at various concentrations, in 25 children aged 4 to 14 years. EEG features are described from induction to surgical anesthesia (concentration 3-3.5%) and during overdoses (4-4.5%) with or without hyperventilation. Groups of spikes, low voltage sequences and electroclinical "seizures" (2 cases) only occur if the concentration of enflurane is not kept below 3.5%. A longitudinal study (24th hour, 3rd and 6th day) shows, by comparison with the pre-anaesthetic EEG, persistence in all cases of EEG slowing 24 hours after the anaesthesia, and in some patients EEG disturbances continue until the 6th day. These results are discussed in relation to data on the biodegradation of enflurane.