Epilepsy and autism: clinical chracteristics

Abstract

Epilepsy can be described as a temporary dysfunction of a set of neurons that generates seizure expression. It is a disorder that may implicate in others such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dysfunction in which symptoms range from deficits in social communication and social interaction and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. Although there are several studies that already point out an overlap between the two entities, it is still important to improve the understanding of the relationship between epilepsy and ASD. Thus, the goal of this study is to describe the clinical features of ASD in patients with epilepsy and identify the set of autistic symptoms that are most common in patients with epilepsy. This will allow the recognition of autistic phenotypes and early therapeutic interventions, which can provide a positive impact on the cognitive development of such individuals. We will include patients with epilepsy diagnosis (clinical-electroencephalographic diagnosis of epilepsy) and behavioral disorder followed up at 'Hospital de Clínicas da UNICAMP'. The psychological tests will be Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). We will apply a questionnaire based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth revision (DSM-5). This group will be compared to a control group of children with ASD without epilepsy. The data will be cataloged and statistical analysis will be performed with the SPSS statistical software. Parametric or non-parametric tests will be used depending on the distribution of the sample. (AU)