Echophenomena

Q: What is Echophenomena?

Answer: Echophenomena is a neurological and psychiatric symptom and may present as

•  Echolalia means senseless repetition of another person's words, or
•  Echopraxia means senseless repetition of another person's movement

Echolalia is a common sign in patients with frontal lobe lesions, catatonia, dementia, and autism. Echopraxia though less common than echolalia can also be seen in frontal lobe disorders, catatonia, Tourette syndrome, and in schizophrenia.

Another related phenomenon is echolocation, but it is not a pathological sign. This is actually a virtue develop by many blind people. Alike bats and dolphins, blind people developed the ability to use self-generated sounds finger snaps to perceive the environment.

#neurology

#psychiatry

References:

1. Ford RA. The psychopathology of echophenomena. Psychol Med. 1989;19(3):627-635. doi:10.1017/s0033291700024223

2. Schuler AL. Echolalia: issues and clinical applications. J Speech Hear Disord. 1979;44(4):411-434. doi:10.1044/jshd.4404.411

3. Hadano K, Nakamura H, Hamanaka T. Effortful echolalia. Cortex 1998;34:67-82. 

4. Pridmore S, Brune M, Ahmadi J, Dale J. Echopraxia in schizophrenia: possible mechanisms. Aust NZ J Psychiatry 2008;42:565-571.