Identification of the Long-Term Effects of Mild to Moderate Neonatal Cerebral Hypoxia Based on EEG Signals Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) during perinatal period is the most common cause of neonatal seizures and is associated with an increased risk of epilepsy in later life. Among newborns affected by perinatal brain injury 20-50% die during the newborn period, and 25-60% of the survivors suffer from permanent neurodevelopmental handicap, including cerebral palsy, seizures, mental retardation, and learning disabilities. In the present study EEG data from 11 patients were analysed with power spectra analysis of the principal components of the EEG signals, fractal dimension estimation and sample entropy estimation. The preliminiary results show that the power density properties in the alpha frequency range correlate with learning difficulties of the subjects.