Neuropsychological sequelae in Kleine-Levin syndrome: case report

Abstract

-Kleine-Levin syndrome is characterized by periodic hypersomnia, hyperphagia, sexual disinhibitions and behavioral disturbances. The prognosis is generally benign, with normal cognitive and social functions after the episodes. We describe a typical case of Kleine-Levin syndrome associated with apparent academic decline, neuropsychological sequelae and personality alterations after the second episode of the illness. Further research in the natural history of Kleine-Levin syndrome is needed, for example, to determine whether early intervention would improve long-term prognosis.

Short-term memory dysfunction in Kleine-Levin syndrome

“…We are not able to confirm the findings of Sagar et al (25), also demonstrated in one case report by Fontenelle et al (26) that symptoms of Kleine–Levin syndrome are related to a general cognitive ability decline after the onset. However, these reports, among other symptoms, also include memory impairment which is congruent with our results.…”

Persistent deficits of visual recall in Kleine–Levin syndrome

“…[1][2][3] Even though KLS is generally considered a disorder of benign course with restitutio ad integrum, patients with personality alterations, academic decline, and neuropsychological deficits between episodes have been reported. [8][9][10] Recently, deficits of visual and verbal short-term memory during remission were reported in four patients with KLS. 6,7 One patient re-tested 6 years after spontaneous recovery showed pronounced reduction in short-term memory capacity along with persisting hypoperfusion of left temporal regions.…”

PANDAS and Comorbid Kleine–Levin Syndrome

“…Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain are typically normal in patients with KLS (Servan et al 1993;Poryazova et al 2007;Huang et al 2012b), and polysomnography tends to display impairment of slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep at symptom onset (Huang et al 2008). Studies of the long-term effects of KLS are limited, but short-term memory dysfunction, academic decline, and auditoryverbal attention deficits have been observed even during periods of remission (Fontenelle et al 2000;Landtblom et al 2003).…”