Epileptic encephalopathy encompasses conditions in which cognitive, motor, or sensory deficits result as a consequence of epileptic activity defining certain syndromes. It therefore represents a more severe subset of epilepsy, which can be generally characterized as frequent or severe seizures leading to cerebral dysfunction. This disturbance in cerebral functioning can in turn hinder, somewhat dramatically, cognitive development and further impact the future lives of patients. In this paper, we describe the cognitive consequences of status epilepticus in children and in adults in the context of plasticity theories. Recent studies maintain that consequences of SE may be severe cognitive sequelae, especially in early life. Since the residual consequences of SE in adulthood seem less detrimental and long-lasting, we argue that early life insults, such as those created by SE, during a rapid period of development and functional specialization, result in specific cognitive deficits dependent on the sensitive period at which SE occurred. 1. Introduction Epileptic encephalopathy encompasses conditions in which cognitive, motor, or sensory deficits result as a consequence of epileptic activity defining certain syndromes [1]. It therefore represents a more severe subset of epilepsy, which can be generally characterized as frequent or severe seizures leading to cerebral dysfunction. This disturbance in cerebral functioning can in turn hinder, somewhat dramatically, cognitive development and further impact the future lives of patients. In this paper, we consider status epilepticus as an epileptic encephalopathy owing to its impact on cognitive development in early life. 2. Status Epilepticus (SE) Status Epilepticus (SE) is a medical epileptic emergency characterized by either rapidly repeating seizures without recovery or regain of consciousness between episodes, or prolonged continuous epileptic activity, both creating a fixed or lasting condition [2, 3]. It is an event rather than a syndrome. It is accepted that the duration of an episode of SE is 30 minutes or more, period after which cerebral functioning is highly probable of being affected and immediate medical attention is needed [4]. Recently, the notions of impending SE and established SE have been introduced [5] in order to provide the best possible care for patients presenting with SE. In adults, patients presenting a seizure lasting more than five minutes can be designated as impending SE. In children, impending seizures are considered when seizures last between 5 and 10 minutes [5]. The prevalence of
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