Acquired Epileptiform Aphasia: A Dimensional View of Landau-Kleffner Syndrome and the Relation to Regressive Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Acquired epileptiform aphasia (AEA) is characterized by deterioration in language in childhood associated with seizures or epileptiform electroencephalographic abnormalities. Despite an extensive literature, discrepancies and contradictions surround its definition and nosological boundaries. This pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child neuropsychology 2002-09, Vol.8 (3), p.195-228
Main Authors: Stefanatos, Gerry A., Kinsbourne, Marcel, Wasserstein, Jeanette
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Autistic Disorder - diagnosis
Autistic Disorder - epidemiology
Autistic Disorder - physiopathology
Child
Comorbidity
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Humans
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome - diagnosis
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome - epidemiology
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome - physiopathology
Severity of Illness Index
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Summary:Acquired epileptiform aphasia (AEA) is characterized by deterioration in language in childhood associated with seizures or epileptiform electroencephalographic abnormalities. Despite an extensive literature, discrepancies and contradictions surround its definition and nosological boundaries. This paper reviews current conceptions of AEA and highlights variations in the aphasic disturbance, age of onset, epileptiform EEG abnormalities, temporal course, and long-term outcome. We suggest that AEA, rather than being a discrete entity, is comprised of multiple variants that have in common the features of language regression and epileptiform changes on EEG. Viewed this way, we argue that AEA can be conceptualized on a spectrum with other epileptiform neurocognitive disorders that may share pathophysiological features. The implications of this viewpoint are discussed, with emphasis on parallels between the AEA variants and regressive autistic spectrum disorders.
ISSN:0929-7049
1744-4136
DOI:10.1076/chin.8.3.195.13498