Epilepsy in neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

Although epilepsy as a comorbidity in neurodegenerative disorders is increasingly recognized, its incidence is still underestimated and the features of epilepsy in the different neurodegenerative conditions are still poorly defined. Improved health care, resulting in increased longevity, will unavoidably lead to an increment of epilepsy cases in the elderly. Thus, it is conceivable to expect that neurologists will have to deal with these comorbid conditions to a growing extent in the future. In this seminar, we provide an updated overview of the clinical features, pathophysiological mechanisms and diagnostic and treatment approaches of epilepsy in the most common neurodegenerative disorders (such as Alzheimer disease and other types of dementia, Parkinson disease, Down syndrome, prion diseases, and progressive myoclonus epilepsies), aiming to provide a tool that can help epileptologists and neurologists in the diagnosis and management of this increasingly reported comorbidity.

Keywords: Alzheimer disease; Parkinson disease; epilepsy; late-onset myoclonic epilepsy in Down syndrome; neurodegenerative disease; prion disease.