Echopraxia is defined as the involuntary and spasmodic imitation of movements made by another person, even when it is not required: it manifests itself semi-automatically and is independent of the patient’s intuition. It is a subset of imitative behavior, an essential developmental element in social learning, whose persistence or reappearance after a certain age, however, may be a sign of underlying brain dysfunction. With this Psychology-Online article we are going to see the characteristics of echopraxia, what exactly it is, its causes and possible treatment.
What is echopraxia?
First of all, to understand what echopraxia is, we will look at the definition of echopraxia throughout history and according to various authors.
The echopraxy It was first described by the psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin at the end of the 19th century as a particular form of “ecophenomenon”: pathological forms of repetition finalistic and repetitive of words or phrases produced by the same subject (autoecholalia) or by others (echolalia), or by movements observed in others (echopraxia). Ecophenomena include repetition:
- of vocalizations (echolalia, the most common echophenomena)
- of words (ecopalilalia)
- of actions, movements (echopraxia)
- of actions or words (ecopathy)
- of facial expressions (ecomemia)
- written or written words (ultrasound)
- physically or mentally, tracing the outlines of objects (echoplasia)
- involving sign language, described in an individual with Tourette syndrome (echolalioplasia)
- of words or sounds in thought (ecology)
The definition of echopraxy is the next: imitation or repetition of body movements. Some examples of echopraxia are imitating another person walking, moving an arm, moving your head…
According to Eugen BleulerFurthermore, in echopraxia a certain cognitive rigidity is also manifested that prevents the patient from “moving away from a conceived idea” and that forces him to repeat an action already performed, instead of emitting the most appropriate or necessary behavior.
Echopraxia is not a disorder as such but a symptom that can appear in different types of disorders, which we will see below.
Disorders in which echopraxia appears
The echopraxy It can be concomitant with a variety of disorders: echopraxia, in fact, serves as a diagnostic marker for specific developmental, psychiatric and neurological disorders due to the frenetic incidence of involuntary movements or imitation of gestures associated with certain disorders.
Echopraxia has long been recognized as a fundamental feature of , and is considered a complex ticbut it also occurs in in the , the and the aphasia.
Furthermore, it can also occur during fatigue statesblurred vision or in other conditions such as Ganser syndromeas well as in others neurological disorders and frontal lobe diseases. Culture-specific syndromes that may show echopraxia include Latah, Amurakh, and Imu; has also been observed in subjects epilepticswith dementia and autoimmune disordersbut individuals can display ecopractical behaviors that are indiscriminate or selective in relation to their environment.
Causes of echopraxia
The neural mechanism involved in echopraxia appears to differ from true voluntary imitation: in contrast to the involuntary and spasmodic nature of echopraxia, voluntary imitation is often a cornerstone of typical growth-associated development. Why does echopraxy occur? The main causes of echopraxia are the following:
- Echopraxia is different from mirror movements: this phenomenon is observed when the identical simultaneous movement of one hand accompanies the voluntary movement of the other hand; mirror movements may be the result of a delay in the development of inhibition rather than a inhibition deficiency which results in echopraxia.
- A deficiency in inhibition resulting in echopraxia can also be seen in individuals with frontal lobe lesions: this can damage the regulation system It helps individuals decide whether their body should move in response to stimuli or whether body movements should be inhibited. Consequently, individuals with frontal lobe lesions and corresponding inhibition deficits may move in involuntary response to external movements or gestures.
- A theoretical cause, still within the scientific debate, is the role of the system in echopraxia, a group of neurons that can influence imitative behaviors.
Echopraxia treatments
Usually, before starting treatment, an attempt is made to understand the underlying cause of echopraxia by observing the behavior of the person in question.
There are no specific tests to diagnose echopraxia: it is generally not diagnosed before the age of three, and it is easier to detect it in adults or the elderly, since in children up to the age of 5 it is quite common to imitate the actions of others, and therefore so much cannot be understood if it is only about imitative learning. Sometimes imitation behavior similar to echopraxia is also present in healthy subjects (such as yawning if someone yawns), but these are not symptoms of disease.
Treatment of echopraxia is generally directed at the condition that includes it, typically focused on symptom relief through a regime of behavioral and pharmaceutical interventionsbut also educational and psychotherapy.
- For example: Depending on the severity of symptoms, patients with Tourette syndrome may benefit from neuroleptic and antihypertensive medications, as well as biofeedback and behavioral interventions; Additionally, special educational services are typically available for echopraxia patients who are autistic, have other health problems, have physical disabilities, or have emotional/behavioral disabilities.
There is currently no known cure for many of the disorders associated with echopraxia. Greater use of biofeedback and behavioral interventions, combined with advances in medicine, may further help people with echopraxia manage the involuntary symptoms they experience.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Ganos, C., Ogrzal, T., Schnitzler, A., Münchau, A. (2012). The pathophysiology of echopraxia/echolalia: relevance to Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Movement Disorders,27(10):1222–9.
- Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J. A. (2010). Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Volume 2. Berlin: Springer.
- Reynolds, CR, Vannest, KJ, Fletcher-Janzen, E. (et al.) (2018). Encyclopedia of Special Education. Volume 2. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
- Treccani, (2010). Dizionario de Medicina. Retrieved from: https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ecoprassia_%28Dizionario-di-Medicina%29/