Brain & Development – Dr Martin Fracker

How Are Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Epilepsy Related?

Many researchers have noted an association between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Epilepsy, including Benign Childhood Epilepsy, such that individuals with ASD are several times more likely to experience epileptic seizures. This association has caused researchers to ask how exactly the two disorders might be related. Does one cause the other? In this article, Tuchman and colleagues argue that while epilepsy does not cause autism, autism and epilepsy may share common physiological mechanisms that explain the association.

High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) May Be Associated with Childhood Epilepsy

Matsuo and colleagues analyzed the association of epilepsy with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and made several important observations. First, of 519 patients with epilepsy, only 15.2% (79) also had ASD. Second, most ASD patients with epilepsy were high functioning, which may explain why ASD was not detected until later in a small number of cases. Third, while 85% of the patients experienced their first epileptic seizures before age 10, about two-thirds had been seizure free for at least two years. Fourth, on the other hand, most but not all of the patients continued to show symptoms of ASD after treatment of epilepsy. These results suggest that although epilepsy and ASD are frequently associated, it seems unlikely that epilepsy causes ASD.

Why Are Epileptic Seizures Common in Children with Autism?

Epilepsy and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) sometimes appear together. Why this co-occurrence should exist is not clear. To help find answers, Rossi and colleagues divided 106 patients with ASD into three groups based on whether the patients exhibited abnormal EEG patterns (paroxysmal abnormalities) and/or experienced epileptic seizures. Their results suggested that when ASD and epilepsy occur together, both are likely caused by genetic factors rather than injuries or lesions to the brain.