TY - JOUR
T1 - Cognitive and behavioural findings in children with frontal lobe epilepsy
AU - Braakman, Hilde M. H.
AU - Ijff, Dominique M.
AU - Vaessen, Maarten J.
AU - Debeij-van Hall, Mariette H. J. A.
AU - Hofman, Paul A. M.
AU - Backes, Walter H.
AU - Vles, Johan S. H.
AU - Aldenkamp, Albert P.
PY - 2012/11
Y1 - 2012/11
N2 - Background: Frontal Lobe Epilepsy (FLE) is the second most frequent type of partial epilepsy and its onset is generally in childhood. Though cognitive and behavioural impairments have been described as co-morbid disorders in epilepsy, their extent in FLE, particularly in children, remains unknown. Aims: In this study, we assess cognitive skills and behaviour in a cohort of paediatric FLE patients. Methods: We measured the performance of 71 children with cryptogenic FLE on intelligence tests, neuropsychological tests, and behavioural questionnaires. Age-dependent normative values were used for reference. Results were related to epilepsy-factors including age at epilepsy onset, duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency, localisation of the epileptic focus and drug load. Results: Paediatric FLE patients performed worse on intellectual and neuropsychological tests compared to reference values, and had a delay in school achievement. The performance of patients was typically worse on tasks measuring visual-spatial functions, memory, psychomotor speed and alertness. High seizure frequency was associated with lower scores on the arithmetic subtest of the intelligence scale; the other epilepsy-factors had no statistically significant influence on intelligence test or neuropsychological test outcome. Behavioural problems included attention problems, anxiety and internalising behaviour. These were not significantly related to epilepsy-factors. Conclusions: Children with cryptogenic FLE show a broad range of cognitive and behavioural impairments, compared to reference values. While high seizure frequency may affect performance on selected cognitive measures, other epilepsy-factors do not seem to influence cognition and behaviour. Study of micro-structural or functional brain abnormalities that underlie these cognitive and behavioural impairments are warranted.
AB - Background: Frontal Lobe Epilepsy (FLE) is the second most frequent type of partial epilepsy and its onset is generally in childhood. Though cognitive and behavioural impairments have been described as co-morbid disorders in epilepsy, their extent in FLE, particularly in children, remains unknown. Aims: In this study, we assess cognitive skills and behaviour in a cohort of paediatric FLE patients. Methods: We measured the performance of 71 children with cryptogenic FLE on intelligence tests, neuropsychological tests, and behavioural questionnaires. Age-dependent normative values were used for reference. Results were related to epilepsy-factors including age at epilepsy onset, duration of epilepsy, seizure frequency, localisation of the epileptic focus and drug load. Results: Paediatric FLE patients performed worse on intellectual and neuropsychological tests compared to reference values, and had a delay in school achievement. The performance of patients was typically worse on tasks measuring visual-spatial functions, memory, psychomotor speed and alertness. High seizure frequency was associated with lower scores on the arithmetic subtest of the intelligence scale; the other epilepsy-factors had no statistically significant influence on intelligence test or neuropsychological test outcome. Behavioural problems included attention problems, anxiety and internalising behaviour. These were not significantly related to epilepsy-factors. Conclusions: Children with cryptogenic FLE show a broad range of cognitive and behavioural impairments, compared to reference values. While high seizure frequency may affect performance on selected cognitive measures, other epilepsy-factors do not seem to influence cognition and behaviour. Study of micro-structural or functional brain abnormalities that underlie these cognitive and behavioural impairments are warranted.
KW - Epilepsy
KW - Frontal lobe
KW - Cognition
KW - Behaviour
KW - Child
U2 - 10.1016/j.ejpn.2012.05.003
DO - 10.1016/j.ejpn.2012.05.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 22748634
SN - 1090-3798
VL - 16
SP - 707
EP - 715
JO - European Journal of Paediatric Neurology
JF - European Journal of Paediatric Neurology
IS - 6
ER -