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Clinical Advances in Child Neurology
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Clinical Advances in Child Neurology

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Pediatrics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 2735

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Claire Marie Rangon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
INWE’CARE Medical Center, Saint-Cloud, France
Interests: neurology; neurosciences; brain plasticity; non-invasive neuromodulation
Dr. Debopam Samanta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Interests: epilepsy; child neurology; clinical neurophysiology; EEG analysis; tuberous sclerosis; neurometabolism; neurogenetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fields of pediatric neurology and psychiatry are increasingly overlapping, supported by new insights in unravelling the underpinning mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders. Although central nervous system plasticity is now better understood, neurological and psychiatric treatments for children remain scarce, and few affordable disruptive therapeutic options has emerged so far. Paradoxically, children are often better and sooner diagnosed, with few available treatment options besides rehabilitation. Nevertheless, many drugs are allowed to be administered after twelve years of age and have significant side effects, with long-term consequences requiring time to be properly assessed. Brain plasticity is maximal during early childhood, but this therapeutic window is not long enough to take advantage of.

This Special Issue aims at gathering nonpharmacological innovative therapeutics able to improve the prognosis and quality of life of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, based on a combination of original research and review papers.

Topics will include:

The role of neuromodulation (invasive as well as non-invasive devices) in child neurology and other nonpharmacological approaches: indications, protocols, clinical trials, and experimental studies.

Dr. Claire Marie Rangon
Dr. Debopam Samanta
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • non-invasive
  • invasive
  • neuromodulation
  • children
  • neurodevelopmental disorders
  • autism spectrum disease
  • refractory epilepsy
  • vagus nerve stimulation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 862 KiB  
Article
Clinical Variability of Pediatric MERS: Insights from a Retrospective Observational Study
by Mariaelena Romeo, Maria Polselli, Vittorio Mantero, Romina Moavero, Luigi Mazzone and Massimiliano Valeriani
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(12), 4169; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14124169 - 12 Jun 2025
Viewed by 399
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a rare neurological disorder primarily affecting pediatric patients but also observed in adults. The radiological hallmark of MERS is a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Although MERS generally has [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a rare neurological disorder primarily affecting pediatric patients but also observed in adults. The radiological hallmark of MERS is a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Although MERS generally has a favorable prognosis, its variable presentation poses diagnostic challenges. This study examines the clinical variability, diagnostic hurdles, and outcomes of pediatric MERS cases. Methods: Our retrospective study included 19 pediatric patients (11 female and 8 males with an average age of 8.41 years) diagnosed with MERS between 2016 and 2024. Clinical data, including demographic characteristics, prodromal symptoms, neurological features, MRI findings, laboratory results, treatments, and outcomes, were analyzed. Results: Among the 19 patients, 84% were previously healthy, with the remaining 16% having pre-existing medical conditions. The most common prodromal symptoms were fever (68%), vomiting (47%), and diarrhea (32%). Neurological manifestations included seizures (26%), headache (21%), and drowsiness (21%), among others. In terms of etiology, infections were identified in 52% of the patients, with viral agents, particularly rotavirus, being the most common (40%). Hyponatremia was present in 63% of the cohort. The typical MRI splenial lesion underwent complete resolution in all patients. Treatment varied, with 53% of patients receiving electrolyte rehydration, and 21% receiving intravenous immunoglobulin or corticosteroids. All patients, but one, achieved full recovery. Discussion: This study reinforces the clinical heterogeneity of MERS in pediatric patients, emphasizing its favorable prognosis independently of presentation. Viral infections and hyponatremia were the most frequent etiologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Advances in Child Neurology)
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14 pages, 1121 KiB  
Article
fNIRS Feasibility to Measure Brain Oxygenation Patterns of the Motor Cortex in Relation to Massage and Reflex Locomotion Therapy in Babies
by Rocío Llamas-Ramos, Juan Luis Sánchez-González, Jorge Juan Alvarado-Omenat, Ismael Sanz-Esteban, J. Ignacio Serrano and Inés Llamas-Ramos
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(11), 3818; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14113818 - 29 May 2025
Viewed by 453
Abstract
Background: Newborns’ plasticity allows the brain to adapt and reorganize in response to external stimuli; therefore, tactile stimuli could generate brain changes. The objective of this study was to verify the feasibility of using fNIRS to measure the degree of brain oxygenation with [...] Read more.
Background: Newborns’ plasticity allows the brain to adapt and reorganize in response to external stimuli; therefore, tactile stimuli could generate brain changes. The objective of this study was to verify the feasibility of using fNIRS to measure the degree of brain oxygenation with tactile techniques in babies. Methods: Oxygenation was recorded continuously and bilaterally before, during, and after the interventions (massage protocol and Reflex Locomotion Therapy) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy in 11-week-old babies. Results: Preliminary data suggested that the massage intervention decreased the activity bilaterally (first minute of the intervention) and then increased it bilaterally (second minute), where it continued to increase in the left hemisphere (third minute) before decreasing bilaterally (fourth minute). Finally, the activity continued to decrease in the right hemisphere but increased in the most dorsal area of the left hemisphere (fifth minute). For the Reflex Locomotion intervention, the activity substantially increased bilaterally (first minute of the intervention) and then decreased bilaterally, but more pronouncedly in the left hemisphere (second minute). Then, the activity decreased to pre-intervention values (third minute) and increased bilaterally again, but pronouncedly in the right hemisphere (fourth minute). In the fifth minute, the activity in the right hemisphere drastically decreased, but it increased in the left hemisphere. During the post-intervention resting period, in the massage intervention, the activity increased in the right hemisphere and in the most ventral part of the left hemisphere; in Reflex Locomotion Therapy, the activity decreased only in the left hemisphere. Conclusions: Both techniques achieve a potential increase in oxyhemoglobin concentration bilaterally during stimulation, but while the effects decrease with Reflex Locomotion Therapy, the effects are maintained with massage. More studies are needed to establish the neurophysiological basis of these therapies in pediatrics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Advances in Child Neurology)
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11 pages, 648 KiB  
Article
Heart Rate Variability Prediction of Stimulant-Induced Creativity Gains in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
by Carrina Appling, Nanan Nuraini, Eric Hart, David Wang, Aneesh Tosh, David Beversdorf and Bradley Ferguson
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(10), 3570; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14103570 - 20 May 2025
Viewed by 1428
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent condition etiologically related to suboptimal levels of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) that is typically treated with psychostimulant medication. In individuals with ADHD, divergent thinking abilities have been shown to improve with the use of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent condition etiologically related to suboptimal levels of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) that is typically treated with psychostimulant medication. In individuals with ADHD, divergent thinking abilities have been shown to improve with the use of psychostimulants. Furthermore, psychostimulants affect autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning, which can impact creative cognition. However, it is not known how DA and NE affect creative cognition in this setting and how this effect is related to autonomic activity in ADHD. Therefore, our objective was to elucidate ANS function and its relationship with divergent creativity gains related to psychostimulant treatment in ADHD. Method: Seventeen individuals diagnosed with ADHD (age 27.9 ± 6.7 sd) participated in two counterbalanced sessions—one while on their prescribed stimulant medication and another after abstaining for at least 24 h. During each session, participants completed convergent (anagrams) and divergent (Torrance Test of Creative Thinking) thinking tasks. An 8 min electrocardiogram prior to cognitive testing was taken to measure heart rate variability (HRV), which is an index of ANS functioning. Results: The hypothesized baseline pNN50 HRV measure was not predictive of enhanced creativity gains on convergent anagrams or divergent creativity on the Torrance when taking stimulants. Conclusions: In this pilot study, the relationship between baseline HRV and the impact of stimulants on anagram performance suggests the noradrenergic system may not play a role in the effect of stimulants on convergent or divergent creativity. The lack of a relationship between baseline HRV and stimulant-related changes in TTCT and anagram scores lends some support to the hypothesis that dopaminergic effects may be the predominant factor in the effect of stimulants on creativity in ADHD. Future research should further investigate the interaction between hypoactive neurotransmitter systems, particularly dopamine in divergent and norepinephrine in convergent creativity, using neuroimaging techniques to assess neurotransmitter dynamics during creativity-based tasks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Advances in Child Neurology)
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