Neuropsychological characteristics of nonepileptic seizure semiological subgroups

The present study sought to identify neuropsychological characteristics of patients with nonepileptic seizures (NESs) based on seizure semiological subgroups and to make comparisons among NES subgroups and with patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). A total of 173 patients with NESs and 180 patients with TLE were included in this study. Statistical comparisons were made between a NES four-subgroup model, a NES two-subgroup model, and patients with TLE on neurocognitive measures. A trend toward declining performance was noted across the subjective, catatonic, minor motor, and major motor subgroups, respectively. The nonmotor subgroup showed stronger performance on verbal intelligence, naming, verbal learning, and verbal memory compared with the TLE group. The motor subgroup generally performed equivalently to the patients with TLE. Results indicate that patients with more dramatic seizure semiology appear to have lower neurocognitive functioning at a level comparable to that of patients with TLE. Patients with NESs with the least dramatic semiology appear to have fewer neurocognitive abnormalities.