Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy: An increasingly recognized comorbidity

Fei Yang; Liling Chen; Yanying Yu; Tingwan Xu; Lu Chen; Wenqian Yang; Qian Wu; Yanbing Han

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.940515

Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy: An increasingly recognized comorbidity

Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Nov 10:14:940515. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.940515. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Fei Yang¹, Liling Chen¹, Yanying Yu¹, Tingwan Xu¹, Lu Chen¹, Wenqian Yang¹, Qian Wu¹, Yanbing Han¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.

Abstract

Both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and epilepsy are common chronic diseases in older people. Seizures and epileptiform discharges are very prevalent in AD and can occur since any stage of AD. Increasing evidence indicates that AD and epilepsy may be comorbid. Several factors may be related to the underlying mechanism of the comorbidity. Identifying seizures in patients with AD is a challenge because seizures are often clinically non-motor and may overlap with some AD symptoms. Not only seizures but also epileptiform discharges may exacerbate the cognitive decline in AD patients, highlighting the importance of early recognition and treatment. This review provides a comprehensive overview of seizures in AD from multiple aspects to provide more insight.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; cognition; comorbidity; epilepsy; seizure.

Publication types

Review