The Epilepsy Aphasias

Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is a rare childhood neurological syndrome. It is characterised by a sudden or gradual loss of ability to understand of express language (aphasia) and usually occurs in children between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Rolandic epilepsy is the most common epilepsy syndrome in childhood with involvement of the oropharyngeal manifestations, hypersalivation and arrest of speech. These two syndromes are considered to be aspects of the ‘epilepsy-aphasia spectrum’ with common rolandic epilepsy being the mildest form and LKS the most severe.

Contents

List of abbreviations

1 INTRODUCTION

2 HISTORY OF LANDAU-KLEFFNER SYNDROME (LKS)

3 CLASSIFICATIONS ISSUES

4 SPEECH PERCEPTION AND BRAIN ORGANIZATION OF LANGUAGE: RELEVANT FEATURES FOR LKS AND EAS

5 THE DIFFERENT CLINICAL FACETS OF LKS

6 DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS OF LKS /EAS AND THE OVERLAP WITH DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

7 EVOLUTION OF LKS . SHORT – MID AND LONG TERM OUTCOME

8 FROM ROLANDIC EPILEPSY TO LANDAU-KLEFFNER SYNDROME

9 LABORATORY (EEG,BRAIN IMAGING, GENETICS AND NEUROIMMUNOLOGY ) INVESTIGATIONS FOR LKS/EAS

10 PHYSIOPATHOLOGY OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE AND OTHER PROLONGED EPILEPTIC DYSFUNCTION IN LKS, ECSWS AND RELATED SYNDROMES

11 FUNCTIONAL NEUROIMAGING INVESTIGATIONS IN IDIOPATHIC FOCAL EPILEPSIES OF CHILDHOOD WITH COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIOURAL IMPAIRMENT. XAVIER DE TIÈGE, SERGE GOLDMAN & PATRICK VAN BOGAERT

12 DRUG MANAGEMENT OF COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS IN LKS AND OTHER EAS SYNDROMES

13 SPEECH AND LANGUAGE, EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL REMEDIATION

14 PERSONAL TESTIMONIES AND UNPUBLISHED CASES

15 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS