Advances in big data and omics: Paving the way for discovery in childhood epilepsies.

The insights gained from big data and omics approaches have transformed the field of childhood genetic epilepsy. With an increasing number of individuals receiving genetic testing for seizures, we are provided with an opportunity to identify clinically relevant subgroups and extract meaningful observations from this large-scale clinical data. However, the volume of data from electronic medical records and omics (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics) is so vast that standardized methods, such as the Human Phenotype Ontology, are necessary for reliable and comprehensive characterization. Here, we explore the integration of clinical and omics data, highlighting how these approaches pave the way for discovery in childhood epilepsies.

The clinical and genetic spectrum of paediatric speech and language disorders in 52,143 individuals.

Speech and language disorders are known to have a substantial genetic contribution. Although frequently examined as components of other conditions, research on the genetic basis of linguistic differences as separate phenotypic subgroups has been limited so far. Here, we performed an in-depth characterization of speech and language disorders in 52,143 individuals, reconstructing clinical histories using a large-scale data mining approach of the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) from an entire large paediatric healthcare network. The reported frequency of these disorders was the highest between 2 and 5 years old and spanned a spectrum of twenty-six broad speech and language diagnoses. We used Natural Language Processing to assess to which degree clinical diagnosis in full-text notes were reflected in ICD-10 diagnosis codes. We found that aphasia and speech apraxia could be easily retrieved through ICD-10 diagnosis codes, while stuttering as a speech phenotype was only coded in 12% of individuals through appropriate ICD-10 codes. We found significant comorbidity of speech and language disorders in neurodevelopmental conditions (30.31%) and to a lesser degree with epilepsies (6.07%) and movement disorders (2.05%). The most common genetic disorders retrievable in our EMR analysis were STXBP1 (n=21), PTEN (n=20), and CACNA1A (n=18). When assessing associations of genetic diagnoses with specific linguistic phenotypes, we observed associations of STXBP1 and aphasia (P=8.57 × 10-7, CI=18.62-130.39) and MYO7A with speech and language development delay due to hearing loss (P=1.24 × 10-5, CI=17.46-Inf). Finally, in a sub-cohort of 726 individuals with whole exome sequencing data, we identified an enrichment of rare variants in synaptic protein and neuronal receptor pathways and associations of UQCRC1 with expressive aphasia and WASHC4 with abnormality of speech or vocalization. In summary, our study outlines the landscape of paediatric speech and language disorders, confirming the phenotypic complexity of linguistic traits and novel genotype-phenotype associations. Subgroups of paediatric speech and language disorders differ significantly with respect to the composition of monogenic aetiologies.

Early life seizures and epileptic spasms in STXBP1-related disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with disease-causing variants in STXBP1 frequently have epilepsy onset in the first year of life with a variety of seizure types, including epileptic spasms. However, the impact of early onset seizures and antiseizure medication (ASM) on the risk of developing epileptic spasms and impact on their trajectory are poorly understood, limiting informed and anticipatory treatment, as well as trial design. METHODS: We retrospectively reconstructed seizure and medication histories in weekly intervals for individuals with STXBP1 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) with epilepsy onset in the first year of life and quantitatively analyzed longitudinal seizure histories and medication response. RESULTS: We included 61 individuals with early onset seizures, 29 of whom had epileptic spasms. Individuals with neonatal seizures were likely to have continued seizures after the neonatal period (25/26). The risk of developing epileptic spasms was not increased in individuals with neonatal seizures or early infantile seizures (21/41 vs. 8/16, odds ratio [OR] = 1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = .3-3.9, p = 1). We did not find any ASM associated with the development of epileptic spasms following prior seizures. Individuals with prior seizures (n = 16/21, 76%) had a higher risk of developing refractory epileptic spasms (n = 5/8, 63%, OR = 1.9, 95% CI = .2-14.6, p = .6). Individuals with refractory epileptic spasms had a later onset of epileptic spasms (n = 20, median = 20 weeks) compared to individuals with nonrefractory epileptic spasms (n = 8, median = 13 weeks, p = .08). SIGNIFICANCE: We provide a comprehensive assessment of early onset seizures in STXBP1-DEE and show that the risk of epileptic spasms is not increased following a prior history of early life seizures, nor by certain ASMs. Our study provides baseline information for targeted treatment and prognostication in early life seizures in STXBP1-DEE.

Early life seizures and epileptic spasms in STXBP1-related disorders.

Background and Objectives: Individuals with disease-causing variants in STXBP1 frequently have epilepsy onset in the first year of life with a variety of seizure types, including epileptic spasms. However, the impact of early-onset seizures and anti-seizure medication (ASM) on the risk of developing epileptic spasms and impact on their trajectory is poorly understood, limiting informed and anticipatory treatment, as well as trial design. Methods: We retrospectively reconstructed seizure and medication histories in weekly intervals for individuals with STXBP1-related disorders with epilepsy onset in the first year of life and quantitatively analyzed longitudinal seizure histories and medication response. Results: We included 61 individuals with early onset seizures, 29 of whom had epileptic spasms. Individuals with neonatal seizures were likely to have continued seizures after the neonatal period (25/26). The risk of developing epileptic spasms was not increased in individuals with neonatal seizures or early infantile seizures (21/41 vs. 8/16; OR 1, 95% CI 0.3-3.9, p = 1). We did not find any ASM associated with the development of epileptic spasms following prior seizures. Individuals with prior seizures (n = 16/21, 76%) had a higher risk to develop refractory epileptic spasms (n = 5/8, 63%, OR =1.9, 95% CI 0.2-14.6, p = 0.6). Individuals with refractory epileptic spasms had a later onset of epileptic spasms (n = 20, median 20 weeks) compared to individuals with non-refractory epileptic spasms (n = 8, median 13 weeks; p = 0.08). When assessing treatment response, we found that clonazepam (n = 3, OR 12.6, 95% CI 2.2-509.4; p < 0.01), clobazam (n=7, OR 3, 95% CI 1.6-6.2; p < 0.01), topiramate (n=9, OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.9; p < 0.01), and levetiracetam (n=16, OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4; p < 0.01) were more likely to reduce seizure frequency and/or to maintain seizure freedom with regards to epileptic spasms than other medications. Discussion: We provide a comprehensive assessment of early-onset seizures in STXBP1-related disorders and show that the risk of epileptic spasms is not increased following a prior history of early-life seizures, nor by certain ASM. Our study provides baseline information for targeted treatment and prognostication in early-life seizures in STXBP1-related disorders.

The bidirectional relationship between sleep and externalizing behavior: A systematic review.

It is well-established that sleep and behavior are interrelated. Although studies have investigated this association, not many have evaluated the bidirectional relationship between the two. To our knowledge this is the first systematic review providing a comprehensive analysis of a reciprocal relationship between sleep and externalizing behavior. Five databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar) were utilized to yield a total of 3,762 studies of which 20 eligible studies, empirical articles examining bidirectionality of sleep and externalizing behavior, were selected for analysis. According to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, the varying methodological approaches used in these studies were analyzed and synthesized, including examining differences and similarities in outcomes between distinct study designs (longitudinal vs cross-sectional), sleep measures (objective vs subjective vs a combination of both), informants (parents, self-report, teachers), and recruited participants (clinical, subclinical and typical populations). The assessment of risk of bias and quality of studies was guided by the instruments employed in research on sleep and behavior in the past. This review establishes that a bidirectional relationship between sleep problems and externalizing behavior clearly exists, and identifies limitations in the existing literature. Furthermore, the importance of early interventions that target both externalizing behaviors and sleep problems is highlighted as a potentially effective way of breaking the sleep-externalizing behavior relationship. Nonetheless, causality cannot be claimed until more trials that manipulate sleep and evaluate changes in externalizing behavior are conducted.