Neuropsychological aspects of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes

To establish whether the disability in benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is the result of the number of seizures, the anti-epileptic therapy or is an inherent characteristic of the syndrome itself.

Thirty-six children with BECTS were tested for cognitive functions prior to commencing treatment with anti-epileptic drugs, and the findings were compared with those in 15 children with normal electroencephalograms, performed for unrelated reasons. The data in the study group were further correlated with the laterality of the epileptic focus and the number of seizures.

Scores for verbal functioning on neuropsychological tests were significantly lower in the study group than the control group. There was no relationship between the neuropsychological scores in the patients and either lateralization of the epileptic focus or number of seizures.

Children with BECTS have an impaired ability to process verbal information. The deficiency is apparently a result of the pathological electrical discharges that are part of the syndrome and are not dependent on the epileptic focus laterality, the number of seizures, or the anti-epileptic treatment.