Inheritance of reading epilepsy

Primary reading epilepsy was diagnosed by special electroencephalographic (EEG) studies in an adolescent youth after his first grand mal seizure. Similar studies of members in three generations of his family showed primary reading epilepsy in his first cousin and in two of his siblings. The disorder in the siblings had not been noticed by parents or teachers and probably would have remained undetected without the use of special techniques. This pedigree buttresses other reported evidence for autosomal dominant transmission of reading epilepsy. The centrencephalic EEG trait also is present in some members of this family. The possible inplications of this association are discussed.