Autismo e epilepsia: modelos e mecanismos Autism and epilepsy: models and mechanisms

O autismo está associado a epilepsia em aproximadamente 30% dos casos com evidências sugerindo a mesma neurofisiopatologia. O mecanismo comum em ambas doen as ainda n o está bem definido e a heterogeneidade dos sintomas clínicos nas crian as com transtorno do espectro autista e epilepsia refor a a importancia de uma abordagem que inclui a investiga o de etiologias biológicas através de estudos de neuroimagem, dos processos inflamatórios, de genética e neuroquímica. Aqui, iremos revisar os principais aspectos da associa o entre autismo e epilepsia. Autism is associated with epilepsy in early childhood in almost 30% of children with either disorder, with evidence suggesting the same neurophysiopathology. The common mechanism in both diseases is not well defined and the heterogeneity of clinical symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy highlights the importance of a comprehensive assessment that includes investigation of underlying biological etiologies through neuroimaging, inflammatory, genetic and neurochemistry studies. Here, we review the main aspects of this association between autism and epilepsy.