title: Epileptic activity is a surrogate for an underlying etiology and stopping the activity has a limited impact on developmental outcome.
abstract: The concept of epileptic encephalopathy is important in clinical practice, but its relevance to an individual must be assessed in the appropriate context. Except in rare situations, epileptic activity is a surrogate for an underlying etiology, and stopping the activity has a limited impact on developmental outcome. Labeling a group of epilepsies as "the epileptic encephalopathies," risks minimizing the impact of epileptic activity on cognition and behavior more widely in epilepsy. Similarly, describing the encephalopathy associated with many infantile onset epilepsies as "epileptic" may be misleading. Finally, concentrating on the epileptic activity alone and not considering the wider consequences of the underlying etiology on cognitive and behavioral development, may focus research efforts and the search for improved therapies on too narrow a target. Therefore, epileptic encephalopathies should not be considered as a specific group of epilepsies but, rather, the concept of epileptic encephalopathy should be applicable to all types of epilepsies and epilepsy syndromes, whenever it is relevant in the clinical course of a particular individual, at any age.
authors: Pediatric Neurology, Child & Adolescent Department, University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Christian M
authors: CM
authors: Korff
authors: The Paediatric Neurosciences Research Group, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Brunklaus
authors: The Paediatric Neurosciences Research Group, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, United Kingdom.|School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
authors: Sameer M
authors: SM
authors: Zuberi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000209:etiology*; D051379:Mice
keywords: Childhood; Encephalopathy; Epileptic activity