Atypical semiology of rolandic epilepsy in some related syndromes

Atypical seizures, especially generalized or focal atonic attacks and atypical absences may occur in association with the classical seizures of rolandic epilepsy. They are often associated with unusual EEG features, especially a marked activation of paroxysms during sleep that may amount to continuous spike-wave complexes of slow sleep. These electroclinical features are often accompanied by cognitive and/or behavioral disturbances and may belong to several syndromes (atypical benign partial epilepsy, syndrome of continuous spike-waves during sleep, Landau-Kleffner syndrome and status of rolandic epilepsy) whose relationship with typical rolandic epilepsy and among themselves remains to be clarified.