Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40019827›Full record

ArticleDevelopmental medicine and child neurology2025

Aetiopathogenesis of infantile epileptic spasms syndrome and mechanisms of action of adrenocorticotrophin hormone/corticosteroids in children: A scoping review.

Emily A Innes, Velda X Han, Shrujna Patel, Michelle A Farrar, Deepak Gill, Shekeeb S Mohammad, Russell C Dale

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Developmental medicine and child neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome: Mechanisms and therapeutic approaches.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Emily A InnesKids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0063-0040
Velda X HanKids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4633-4316
Shrujna PatelKids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4928-692X
Michelle A FarrarNeurology Department, Sydney Children' Hospital at Randwick, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4472-0902
Deepak GillKids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6219-9479
Shekeeb S Mohammad *Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1219-4781
Russell C Dale *Kids Neuroscience Centre, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-2495-1826

Funding

Petre Foundation APP1193648
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo review the aetiopathogenesis of infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) and mechanisms of action of adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH)/corticosteroids established in humans.

methodMEDLINE, PubMed, and Embase were systematically searched from inception to December 2023 to identify studies related to IESS aetiology and treatment response. Mechanistic themes were identified and through consensus meetings refined and grouped into five overarching hypotheses.

resultsFive hypotheses were generated from 17 mechanistic themes: (1) gene and epigenetic regulation altering expression of 'vulnerability' genes; (2) stress and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation; (3) neuroinflammation and altered immune function; (4) altered neuronal transmission and pathways; and (5) dysfunction of metabolic pathways.

interpretationThe evidence that ACTH/corticosteroids alter these processes remains limited. It is plausible that these processes interact with one another, rather than existing independently, and affect maturational and regulatory processes in the central nervous system, consistent with proposals that IESS is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Understanding how ACTH/corticosteroids work in IESS may facilitate disease-modifying treatments and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Indexed as

Adrenal Cortex HormonesAdrenocorticotropic HormoneSpasms, InfantileChildHumansHypothalamo-Hypophyseal SystemInfantAdrenal Cortex HormonesAdrenocorticotropic Hormone

Identifiers

PMID40019827
PMCPMC12237231

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.