Landau-Kleffner is currently considered a rare syndrome that combines
acquired aphasia and epilepsy in children. We present two cases and di
scuss evidence in the literature that suggest how this syndrome is act
ually only part of a more generalized situation in which epilepsy (a p
aroxysmal disorder) produces or is accompanied by a prolonged or perma
nent derangement of neuronal circuits responsible for higher cortical
functions, including language. This reappraisal of the identity of the
syndrome could have interesting consequences not only for the study o
f epilepsy but also for the study of higher cortical functions. (C) 19
97 Academic Press.