Echopraxia

For the 2014 novel, see Echopraxia (novel).

Echopraxia (also known as echokinesis[1]) is the involuntary repetition or imitation of another person's actions.[1] Similar to echolalia, the involuntary repetition of sounds and language, it is one of the echophenomena ("automatic imitative actions without explicit awareness").[1] It has long been recognized as a core feature of Tourette syndrome,[1] and is considered a complex tic, but it also occurs in autism spectrum disorders,[1][2] schizophrenia and catatonia,[1][3] aphasia, and disorders involving the startle reflex such as latah.[1][4] Echopraxia has also been observed in individuals with epilepsy, dementia and autoimmune disorders;[1] the causes of and the link between echopraxia and these disorders is undetermined.[5]

The etymology of the term is from Ancient Greek: "ἠχώ (ēkhō) from ἠχή (ēkhē "sound") and "πρᾶξις (praksis, "action, activity, practice)".[6]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference Ganos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Realmuto GM, August GJ (December 1991). "Catatonia in autistic disorder: a sign of comorbidity or variable expression?". J Autism Dev Disord. 21 (4): 517–28. doi:10.1007/BF02206874. PMID 1778964.
  3. ^ Pridmore S, Brüne M, Ahmadi J, Dale J (July 2008). "Echopraxia in schizophrenia: possible mechanisms" (PDF). Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 42 (7): 565–71. doi:10.1080/00048670802119747. PMID 18612859.
  4. ^ Tanner CM, Chamberland J (May 2001). "Latah in Jakarta, Indonesia". Mov. Disord. 16 (3): 526–9. doi:10.1002/mds.1088. PMID 11391750.
  5. ^ Cho YJ, Han SD, Song SK, Lee BI, Heo K (June 2009). "Palilalia, echolalia, and echopraxia-palipraxia as ictal manifestations in a patient with left frontal lobe epilepsy". Epilepsia. 50 (6): 1616–9. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2008.01980.x. PMID 19175395.
  6. ^ "Medical Dictionary Medilexicon".