Epilepsy and Epileptiform Activity in Autism and Other ASDs

Advances in Autism Research
April 2010

Associations among autism, other ASDs, seizures, and epileptiform activity have long been known. Citations whose title appears in blue are linked directly to that cite's Pubmed page, which usually includes an abstract plus a link to the whole-text article, only some of which are free online

1. The role of epilepsy and epileptiform EEGs in autism spectrum disorders
Spence SJ, Schneider MT.
National Institute of Mental Health
Pediatr Res. 2009 Jun;65(6):599-606.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19454962

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown etiology characterized by social and communication deficits and the presence of restricted interests/repetitive behaviors. Higher rates of epilepsy have long been reported, but prevalence estimates vary from as little as 5% to as much as 46%. This variation is probably the result of sample characteristics that increase epilepsy risk such as sample ascertainment, lower intelligence quotient (IQ), the inclusion of patients with nonidiopathic autism, age, and gender. However, critical review of the literature reveals that the rate in idiopathic cases with normal IQ is still significantly above the population risk suggesting that autism itself is associated with an increased risk of epilepsy. Recently, there has been interest in the occurrence of epileptiform electroencephalograms (EEGs) even in the absence of epilepsy. Rates as high as 60% have been reported and some investigators propose that these abnormalities may play a causal role in the autism phenotype. Although this phenomenon is still not well understood and risk factors have yet to be determined, the treatment implications are increasingly important. We review the recent literature to elucidate possible risk factors for both epilepsy and epileptiform EEGs. We then review existing data and discuss controversies surrounding treatment of EEG abnormalities.

2. Electroencephalogram Discharges in Atypical Cognitive Development.
Frye RE, Butler I, Strickland D, Castillo E, Papanicolaou A.
J Child Neurol. 2010 Mar 18. [Epub ahead of print]

3. Intra-individual subtest variability on the Dutch Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children-Revised (WISC-R(NL)) for children with learning disabilities, psychiatric disorders, and epilepsy.
van Iterson L, Kaufman AS.
Psychol Rep. 2009 Dec;105(3 Pt 2):995-1008.

4. Epidemiology and management of insomnia in children with autistic spectrum disorders.
Miano S, Ferri R.
Paediatr Drugs. 2010 Apr 1;12(2):75-84.

5. Developmental profiles in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders referred for intervention.
Fernell E, Hedvall A, Norrelgen F, Eriksson M, Höglund-Carlsson L, Barnevik-Olsson M, Svensson L, Holm A, Westerlund J, Gillberg C.
Res Dev Disabil. 2010 Mar 4. [Epub ahead of print]

6. Adenosine, ketogenic diet and epilepsy: the emerging therapeutic relationship between metabolism and brain activity.
Masino SA, Kawamura M, Wasser CA, Pomeroy LT, Ruskin DN.
Curr Neuropharmacol. 2009 Sep;7(3):257-68.

7. Cholinergic Abnormalities in Autism: Is There a Rationale for Selective Nicotinic Agonist Interventions?
Deutsch SI, Urbano MR, Neumann SA, Burket JA, Katz E.
Clin Neuropharmacol. 2010 Feb 25. [Epub ahead of print]

8. Stereotypic movement disorder: easily missed.
Freeman RD, Soltanifar A, Baer S.
Dev Med Child Neurol. 2010 Feb 24. [Epub ahead of print]

9. Association of epilepsy and comorbid conditions.
Seidenberg M, Pulsipher DT, Hermann B.
Future Neurol. 2009 Sep 1;4(5):663-668.

10. Creatine and creatine deficiency syndromes: biochemical and clinical aspects.
Nasrallah F, Feki M, Kaabachi N.
Pediatr Neurol. 2010 Mar;42(3):163-71.

11. Clinical and genetic evaluation of a family showing both autism and epilepsy.
Combi R, Redaelli S, Beghi M, Clerici M, Cornaggia CM, Dalprà L.
Brain Res Bull. 2010 Feb 10. [Epub ahead of print]

12. Medical treatment of autism spectrum disorders.
Coury D.
Curr Opin Neurol. 2010 Apr;23(2):131-6.PMID: 20087181 [PubMed - in process]

13. Neurodevelopmental effects of chronic exposure to elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in a developing visual system.
Lee RH, Mills EA, Schwartz N, Bell MR, Deeg KE, Ruthazer ES, Marsh-Armstrong N, Aizenman CD.
Neural Dev. 2010 Jan 12;5:2.

14. EEG abnormalities and epilepsy in autistic spectrum disorders: clinical and familial correlates.
Ekinci O, Arman AR, IÅŸik U, Bez Y, Berkem M.
Epilepsy Behav. 2010 Feb;17(2):178-82.

15. Effect of methylphenidate on the quality of life in children with epilepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder:.
Yoo HK, Park S, Wang HR, Lee JS, Kim K, Paik KW, Yum MS, Ko TS.
Epileptic Disord. 2009 Dec;11(4):301-8.

16. Association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy in pediatric populations.
Hamoda HM, Guild DJ, Gumlak S, Travers BH, Gonzalez-Heydrich J.
Expert Rev Neurother. 2009 Dec;9(12):1747-54.

17. A model of symptomatic infantile spasms syndrome.
Scantlebury MH, Galanopoulou AS, Chudomelova L, Raffo E, Betancourth D, Moshé SL.
Neurobiol Dis. 2010 Mar;37(3):604-12

18. Update on autism: a review of 1300 reports published in 2008.
Hughes JR.
Epilepsy Behav. 2009 Dec;16(4):569-89

19.  Look who is weaving the neural web: glial control of synapse formation.
Bolton MM, Eroglu C.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2009 Oct;19(5):491-7.

20. Epileptiform discharges in psychiatric patients: a controversy in need of resurrection.
Boutros N.
Clin EEG Neurosci. 2009 Oct;40(4):239-44.

21. Amygdala volumes in childhood absence epilepsy.
Schreibman Cohen A, Daley M, Siddarth P, Levitt J, Loesch IK, Altshuler L, Ly R, Shields WD, Gurbani S, Caplan R.
Epilepsy Behav. 2009 Nov;16(3):436-41.

22. Investigating epigenetic influences on seizure disposition.
Gilby KL.
Can J Neurol Sci. 2009 Aug;36 Suppl 2:S78-81.

23. Clinical characteristics associated with language regression for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Jones LA, Campbell JM.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2010 Jan;40(1):54-62.

24. Ketogenic diets: an update for child neurologists.
Kossoff EH, Zupec-Kania BA, Rho JM.
J Child Neurol. 2009 Aug;24(8):979-88.

25. Loss of language in early development of autism and specific language impairment.
Pickles A, Simonoff E, Conti-Ramsden G, Falcaro M, Simkin Z, Charman T, Chandler S, Loucas T, Baird G.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2009 Jul;50(7):843-52.

26. Neurological comorbidity and epilepsy: implications for treatment.
Zaccara G.
Acta Neurol Scand. 2009 Jul;120(1):1-15.

27. Attention-deficit disorders and epilepsy in childhood: incidence, causative relations and treatment possibilities.
Kaufmann R, Goldberg-Stern H, Shuper A.
J Child Neurol. 2009 Jun;24(6):727-33.

28. The role of epilepsy and epileptiform EEGs in autism spectrum disorders.
Spence SJ, Schneider MT.
Pediatr Res. 2009 Jun;65(6):599-606.

29. Impaired attention network in temporal lobe epilepsy: a resting FMRI study.

Zhang Z, Lu G, Zhong Y, Tan Q, Yang Z, Liao W, Chen Z, Shi J, Liu Y.
Neurosci Lett. 2009 Jul 24;458(3):97-101.

30. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with epilepsy.
Parisi P, Moavero R, Verrotti A, Curatolo P.
Brain Dev. 2010 Jan;32(1):10-6. Epub 2009 Apr 14.

31. How do cognition, emotion, and epileptogenesis meet? A study of emotional cognitive bias in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Lanteaume L, Bartolomei F, Bastien-Toniazzo M.
Epilepsy Behav. 2009 Jun;15(2):218-24.

32. Neonatal hypoglycemic brain - injury a common cause of infantile onset remote symptomatic epilepsy.
Udani V, Munot P, Ursekar M, Gupta S.
Indian Pediatr. 2009 Feb;46(2):127-32.

33. The relationship between epilepsy and autism: a continuing debate.

Besag FM.
Acta Paediatr. 2009 Apr;98(4):618-20.

34. MRI findings in 77 children with non-syndromic autistic disorder.
Boddaert N, Zilbovicius M, Philipe A, Robel L, Bourgeois M, Barthélemy C, Seidenwurm D, Meresse I, Laurier L, Desguerre I, Bahi-Buisson N, Brunelle F, Munnich A, Samson Y, Mouren MC, Chabane N.
PLoS One. 2009;4(2):e4415. Epub 2009 Feb 10.

35. Autism spectrum disorder in children with and without epilepsy: impact on social functioning and communication.
Turk J, Bax M, Williams C, Amin P, Eriksson M, Gillberg C.
Acta Paediatr. 2009 Apr;98(4):675-81.

36. Behavioral status of children with cryptogenic localization-related epilepsy.
van Mil SG, Reijs RP, van Hall MH, Snoeijen SM, Aldenkamp AP.
J Child Neurol. 2009 Apr;24(4):449-53.

37. Genetic calcium signaling abnormalities in the central nervous system: seizures, migraine, and autism.
Gargus JJ.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009 Jan;1151:133-56.

38. Increased risks of congenital, neurologic, and endocrine disorders associated with autism in preschool children: cognitive ability differences.

Chen CY, Chen KH, Liu CY, Huang SL, Lin KM.
J Pediatr. 2009 Mar;154(3):345-50, 350.e1

39. Convulsing toward the pathophysiology of autism.
Tuchman R, Moshé SL, Rapin I.
Brain Dev. 2009 Feb;31(2):95-103.

40. Can children with autism recover? If so, how?
Helt M, Kelley E, Kinsbourne M, Pandey J, Boorstein H, Herbert M, Fein D.
Neuropsychol Rev. 2008 Dec;18(4):339-66.

This document prepared by
Teresa Binstock
Researcher in Developmental & Behavioral Neuroanatomy
April 2010