Changes in neuropsychological functioning following temporal lobectomy in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

This study was conducted to evaluate the changes in neuropsychological functioning in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) after temporal lobe resection.

Fifty-four TLE patients were evaluated before and after surgery using comprehensive neuropsychological tests to assess general intelligence, executive functioning, language, verbal and visual memory, working memory, visuo-spatial ability, attention and motor function.

The patients with left TLE showed no impairment of neuropsychological functioning after surgery, with the exception of auditory immediate memory. Furthermore, they showed significant improvement in performance IQ, executive function, working memory, visual memory, attention and psychomotor speed. The patients with right TLE did not show any significant impairment in post-operative neuropsychological functioning. They showed improvements in intellectual and executive functions, language, visual memory, visuo-spatial ability, attention and motor function post-operatively. The patients with hippocampal sclerosis showed greater post-operative improvements than the patients without hippocampal sclerosis regardless of the side. Patients with better pre-operative neuropsychological function had a higher chance of successfully discontinuing all seizure medications after surgery.

The results of this study suggest that temporal lobectomy does not harm the neuropsychological functioning of patients with intractable TLE and that it improves cognitive functions of the contralateral hemisphere.