Child Neurology Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
burst suppression
An EEG pattern characterized by alternating periods of high-amplitude activity ('bursts') and low-amplitude or flat activity ('suppression').
hypsarrhythmia
Chaotic, high-voltage EEG pattern associated with infantile spasms and West syndrome.
infantile epileptic spasms syndrome
An age-specific epileptic encephalopathy featuring brief axial muscle contractions, developmental regression, and hypsar...
infantile hypotonia
Decreased muscle tone in infants, presenting as floppiness or reduced resistance to passive movement, often called 'flop...
infantile spasms
A specific type of seizure characterized by sudden flexion or extension movements occurring in clusters, typically in th...
interictal
Occurring between seizures, describing the period when a patient is not actively seizing.
Interictal Epileptiform Discharge
Abnormal electrical activity recorded on EEG between seizures that suggests epileptic potential.
intractable epilepsy
Epilepsy that remains uncontrolled despite adequate trials of multiple appropriate antiepileptic medications.
ketogenic diet
A high-fat, low-carbohydrate therapeutic diet used to treat medically refractory epilepsy in children.
Ketogenic Ratio
The mathematical ratio of fats to carbohydrates plus proteins in the ketogenic diet, typically expressed as grams of fat...
language-specific epilepsy
Epilepsy syndromes that predominantly affect language development and function, such as Landau-Kleffner syndrome.
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
Severe childhood epilepsy syndrome characterized by multiple seizure types, intellectual disability, and distinctive EEG...
lissencephaly
A rare neurological condition characterized by abnormal brain development resulting in a smooth cerebral surface with fe...
lumbar puncture
A diagnostic procedure in which a needle is inserted into the spinal canal to collect cerebrospinal fluid for analysis.
Magnetoencephalography
A neuroimaging technique that measures magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain.
MEG
Magnetoencephalography, a neuroimaging technique that measures magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the br...
microcephaly
A condition where a baby's head circumference is significantly smaller than expected for age and sex.
myoclonus
Brief, sudden, involuntary muscle jerks that can occur in various neurological conditions including epilepsy.
neonatal seizure
Seizures occurring in newborns within the first 28 days of life, often presenting with subtle clinical manifestations.
neural tube defect
A group of birth defects affecting the brain, spine, or spinal cord that occur when the neural tube fails to close prope...
neurocutaneous syndrome
Genetic disorders affecting both nervous system and skin development, often presenting with characteristic skin lesions...
neurodevelopmental disorder
A condition characterized by impaired development of the nervous system, affecting cognition, behavior, motor skills, or...
neuroimaging
Medical imaging techniques used to visualize brain structure and function, essential for diagnosing pediatric neurologic...
neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
A group of inherited lysosomal storage disorders characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, vision loss, and seizur...