Acquired epileptiform aphasia: a dimensional view of
landau-kleffner syndrome and the relation to regressive autistic spectrum
disorders.
Stefanatos G, Kinsbourne M, Wasserstein J.
Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute,
Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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.
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