Citation

Piazzini A, Turner K, Chifari R, Morabito A, Canger R, Canevini MP. Epilepsy Res. 2006; 72(2-3): 89-96.

Affiliation

Epilepsy Center, St. Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, Via A. Di Rudini 8, 20142 Milan, Italy. ada.piazzini@ao-sanpaolo.it

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2006.04.004

PMID

16930944

Abstract

PURPOSE: To assess the possible cognitive alterations in epilepsy patients compared with controls over 5 years, and to investigate the clinical variables mainly implied in mental impairment. METHODS: In our longitudinal single-center study, 50 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and 50 controls were administered the same battery of comprehensive neuropsychological tests at baseline and after 5 years. RESULTS: TLE patients showed a significant impairment in attention and psychomotor speed compared with controls after 5 years, while the other cognitive domains did not exhibit any important changes. This worsening was mainly related to the duration of epilepsy, the age at onset, a history of tonic-clonic seizures and a low educational level. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that tapping the attention and psychomotor speed decline in TLE patients should be considered relevant for future research, in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the cognitive dimensions of this field.

Language: en