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Autistic regression associated with seizure onset in an infant with tuberous sclerosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2006

Ayla Humphrey
Affiliation:
Developmental Psychiatry Section, University of Cambridge, UK.
Brian GR Neville
Affiliation:
Neurosciences Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, UK. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, UK.
Antonia Clarke
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital, UK.
Patrick F Bolton
Affiliation:
Department of Child Psychiatry and MRC Centre for Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK.
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Abstract

We report here on a male diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis at 6 months of age. The child was treated with vigabatrin at age 6 months after an abnormal electroencephalogram but before onset of seizures. Vigabatrin was discontinued at age 13 months to avoid possible visual field defects. At 21 months, the child developed partial seizures with secondary generalization and infantile spasms. Standardized developmental assessments were performed at 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age. Cognitive and social development were normal until age 21 months and the onset of seizures. When assessed at 24 months, the child met criteria for autism and learning disability. This case indicates that the onset of epilepsy during an early stage in brain development can be associated with autistic regression and persistent developmental disorder. The case suggests the need to consider if possible visual field defects with vigabatrin outweigh the potentially deleterious effects of uncontrolled seizures.

Type
Case Report
Copyright
2006 Mac Keith Press

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