National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features



Other Names:
ADLTE; ADPEAF; Autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy; ADLTE; ADPEAF; Autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy; ETL1 See More
Categories:

Autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features (ADPEAF) is a rare form of epilepsy, a condition that is characterized by recurrent seizures. In ADPEAF, specifically, most affected people experience secondary generalized seizures and partial seizures, some of which are associated with sound-related symptoms (such as buzzing, humming, or ringing) and/or receptive aphasia (inability to understand written or spoken words). Less commonly, seizures may cause visual hallucinations, a disturbance in the sense of smell, vertigo, or other symptoms affecting the senses. Signs and symptoms of the condition generally begin in adolescence or early adulthood.[1][2][3] ADPEAF is caused by changes (mutations) in the LGI1 or RELN gene and is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. The seizures associated with ADPEAF are typically well controlled with medications that are used to treat epilepsy (called antiepileptic drugs).[1]
Last updated: 3/31/2016

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Bilateral tonic-clonic seizure with focal onset 0007334
Focal aware seizure 0002349
Focal impaired awareness seizure 0002384
Focal sensory seizure with auditory features 0011158
Incomplete penetrance 0003829
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Differential diagnoses include other forms of focal epilepsy, such as autosomal dominant sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy and familial focal epilepsy with variable foci (FFEVF).
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are related to Autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.

    Please note: Studies listed on the ClinicalTrials.gov website are listed for informational purposes only; being listed does not reflect an endorsement by GARD or the NIH. We strongly recommend that you talk with a trusted healthcare provider before choosing to participate in any clinical study.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Ruth Ottman, PhD. Autosomal Dominant Partial Epilepsy with Auditory Features. GeneReviews. August 2015; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1537.
  2. Autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features. Genetics Home Reference. July 2008; https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/autosomal-dominant-partial-epilepsy-with-auditory-features.
  3. EPILEPSY, FAMILIAL TEMPORAL LOBE, 1. OMIM. July 2015; http://www.omim.org/entry/600512.