Ictal aphasia in LGI1-related autosomal dominant epilepsy with auditory features

Autosomal dominant epilepsy with auditory features (OMIM 600512) is characterised by focal seizures with distinctive auditory auras and/or ictal aphasia. We describe a 17-year-old girl with recurrent attacks of ictal aphasia and rare nocturnal convulsions. She had a four-generation paternal family history of epilepsy. Her father and aunt perceived bells ringing at the onset of seizures. Sequence analysis of the leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) gene identified a novel heterozygous variant in the proband and her father. LGI1-related genetic epilepsy has a benign clinical course with a favourable response to anti-seizure medications. Auditory or vertiginous seizures may be mistaken for peripheral audio-vestibular symptoms, while complex auditory ictal symptoms may be misattributed to primary psychiatric disorders. Recognising this distinctive inherited syndrome should prompt targeted analysis of the LGI1 gene.