Brain damage from disease or injury, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), is the most prevalent cause of seizures in newborn newborns (5). B: Certain medications can also trigger a seizure. The most common drugs associated with infantile spasms are topiramate and valproic acid. Lithium treatment for bipolar disorder has been reported to increase the risk of seizures in children, but this effect is not seen until after several months of use. Carbamazepine (Tegretol) may cause behavioral problems in children who take it long term. Epidemic proportions of epilepsy occur when there is an underlying neurological condition such as brain tumor or stroke. In these cases, the seizures are a result of the condition causing brain damage which can lead to increased susceptibility to seizures. About 10% of infants born very prematurely (before 32 weeks' gestation) will have evidence of brain damage at birth that could put them at risk for developing epilepsy. Very low birth weight babies are at increased risk for seizures due to complications during pregnancy or labor, trauma to the brain during delivery, lack of oxygen at birth, and/or infection following birth. C: A small percentage of infants will have a genetic predisposition to develop seizures. These children are born with abnormal genes that cause their brains to be more susceptible to seizures.