Links between dyslexia and epilepsy?

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by My Sexy Blue Feet, Feb 18, 2005.

  1. My Sexy Blue Feet Out sunbaking, leave a msg... Registered Senior Member

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    A friend just told me that dyslexia and epilepsy are linked, like it's just two forms of the same disorder. I don't know much about dyslexia, but i find that with epileptic medications cause scatterbrainedness, like , it's hard to consentrate on more than one or two things at the same time, which is similar to what a friend of mine goes through with dyslexia.
    Anyone know anything?
     
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  3. Hercules Rockefeller Beatings will continue until morale improves. Moderator

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    I did some quick searching but cannot definitely answer your question. It seems that both dyslexia and epilepsy can result from damage or malformations of the cortex (the part of the brain associated with higher cognitive functions)…

    So, I suppose it’s within the realms of possibility that dyslexia is a mild form of epilepsy, but I could find no convincing statement to this effect in the literature. In this era of genomics we will likely learn much more about the genetic basis of these conditions.

    "Epilepsy" refers to an etiologically and clinically diverse group of neurological disorders characterized by spontaneous, recurrent, paroxysmal cerebral discharges, called seizures. The latter may have varied subjective, behavioral or motor manifestations; but the common factor has been assumed for the last 100 years to be the paroxysmal, excessive and synchronous discharge of a group of neurons. Only limited progress has been made in understanding the molecular and cellular basis of either the proneness to epileptic seizures or their acute manifestations. The known causes of epilepsy are some (neuro)developmental disorders, traumatic injury and focal lesions, and some metabolic disorders.<P>
     
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  5. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    I have mild to moderate dyslexia and for about two years was a volunteer worker assisting a Johns Hopkins doctor investigate the claims (of a Dr. Cooper, well know in the Boston area and rich from his unique earlier treatment of Parkinson disease) that chronic electrical stimulation of the superior surface of the cerebellum could prevent epilesy and several other related deseases ("intention tremor" being one I can still recall because of the dramatic movie of an calm old man becoming spatic and spilling water on himself when he tried to drink a class of it.)

    For other reasons, the doctor I helped had about 50 Rheses monkeys and I had the rechargable heart pacer that APL/JHU had developed. - It used high quality NiCd batteries developed for our satellites with weekly recharge, but was losing ground in the market because expendable batterys and lower power transisters were rapidly improving and other pacers using them could now last 10 years without replacement etc. We were looking around for other applications that required more power, i.e. were not just triggers to a natural energy system in the body.
    (Cooper's treatment and transdural stimulation of the spinal cord for chronic pain were both "hot candidates.") Thus I know a little something about both your subjects.

    I do not think there is any significant relationship between dyslexia and epilesy, but the latter is anti-correlated with schizophrenia. Your following paragraph on epilepsy is excellent, and I have only one comment/question (added after it); however, your paragraph might have also noted that some seizures remain highly local while others "kindle" (spread to a full lobe or hemisphere). I got to be so good at real time reading of the EEG with my back to the monkey that I could make a reasonable running discription where it was manifesting motor activity as the seizure kindeled! (Monkeys do not naturally have seizures - our were "preparations" designed to have a small focus (initially) in the motor cortex, but it often kindeled.)

    Because of my experience with aproximately 200 seizures in our monkeys, I believe that individual seizures only end by metabolically exhausting the hyper active cells. Once a seasure had started, I never was able to terminate it, not even once. I tried about 25 years ago to find this view (or refutation of it) in the literature, but could not. If anyone out there knows if my guess was correct, (or false) please tell me in PM. thanks.
     
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