Pediatric Neurology Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
SUDEP SUDEP
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, referring to the sudden death of someone with epilepsy who was otherwise healthy.
Ohtahara syndrome
A severe early infantile epileptic encephalopathy characterized by tonic seizures and suppression-burst pattern on EEG.
pachygyria
A malformation of cortical development characterized by abnormally thick, broad gyri with shallow sulci, representing in...
PANDAS
A controversial condition where streptococcal infections allegedly trigger sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder...
perinatal stroke
A cerebrovascular event occurring between 20 weeks gestation and 28 days postnatal age, often presenting with seizures i...
periventricular leukomalacia
Brain injury affecting white matter around the ventricles, commonly seen in premature infants and associated with cerebr...
pharmacoresistance
Failure of seizures to respond to adequate trials of at least two tolerated antiseizure medications.
PNES
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, events that resemble epileptic seizures but are not caused by abnormal brain electri...
polymicrogyria
A cortical malformation characterized by abnormally small and numerous brain folds, creating an irregular brain surface.
postictal
The period immediately following a seizure when a patient is recovering and may exhibit confusion, fatigue, or neurologi...
refractory epilepsy
Epilepsy that fails to respond to adequate trials of two or more appropriately chosen antiepileptic drugs, also called d...
responsive neurostimulation
Implantable device that detects seizure activity and delivers targeted electrical stimulation to interrupt seizures.
Rett syndrome
Progressive neurodevelopmental disorder almost exclusively affecting females, characterized by normal early development...
schizencephaly
A rare brain malformation characterized by abnormal clefts or splits in the cerebral cortex that extend from the brain s...
spike-wave index
The percentage of time that spike-wave discharges occur during a specific sleep stage, used to quantify epileptiform act...
spina bifida
Congenital neural tube defect characterized by incomplete closure of the vertebral column and potential herniation of sp...
spina bifida occulta
A mild form of spina bifida where the vertebral arches fail to fuse completely but the spinal cord and meninges remain i...
status epilepticus
A prolonged seizure or series of seizures lasting more than 30 minutes without recovery of consciousness between episode...
Sturge-Weber syndrome
A neurocutaneous syndrome characterized by port-wine stains, glaucoma, and leptomeningeal angiomatosis causing seizures...
subependymal giant cell astrocytoma
A benign brain tumor occurring almost exclusively in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex, typically located near th...
SUDEP
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, referring to the sudden death of someone with epilepsy who was otherwise healthy.
therapeutic hypothermia
Controlled cooling of body temperature to protect the brain from injury after cardiac arrest or other hypoxic events.
Todd's paralysis
A temporary weakness or paralysis in a portion of the body following a focal seizure, typically lasting minutes to hours...
TORCH infections
A group of congenital infections that can cause similar patterns of birth defects and neurological abnormalities in affe...
tuberous sclerosis complex
A genetic disorder causing benign tumor growth in multiple organs, commonly presenting with seizures, developmental dela...