Spectral EEG in Congenital Heart Disease: A Case–Control Study in Infants Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Children suffering from congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk of developing a variety of neurocognitive sequelae. The etiology of these impairments is thought to be multifactorial, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to compare the power spectra of postoperative electroencephalographic (EEG) activity of children with CHD undergoing cardiac surgery and controls to highlight differences in brain oscillations and cerebral architecture. We recruited 35 children with CHD undergoing cardiac surgery within six months of life (CHD group, M = 22, age at evaluation 111 days [38; 173]) and 35 age-matched healthy controls (control group, M = 24). After surgery, immediately before discharge, CHD children underwent multichannel EEG and psychomotor evaluation with the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale (GMDS). At the psychomotor evaluation, 25/35 (71%) children in CHD group had a normal GMDS total score, 7/35 (20%) were borderline, and 3/35 (5%) were impaired. The EEG activity of CHD and controls differed significantly in the alpha (F = 23.662, p <.001) and beta (F = 36.457, p <.001) bands. Only for the CHD group did EEG power not correlate with age. CHD children exhibit marked differences in the EEG spectrum, particularly in the medium–high frequencies, suggesting an abnormal development of cerebral networks sustaining early cognitive milestones.