Should cognition be screened in new-onset epilepsies? A study in 247 untreated patients

The aim of our study was to assess cognition in newly diagnosed and untreated patients with epilepsy in order to determine the prevalence and the determinants of cognitive deficits at this early stage of the disease. A total of 247 untreated patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy underwent a brief test battery focusing on attention and executive functions (EpiTrack(®)) and memory (short form of the VLMT). In addition, the assessment included ratings of self-perceived deficits in attention and memory. Impairments in attention and executive functions were seen in 49.4 % of the patients and memory deficits in 47.8 %. Unimpaired performance in both domains was observed in 27.9 % of the cases. Self-perceived deficits in attention were only reported by 28.7 % of the patients, and 25.1 % of the patients complained of memory impairments. Lower education and a symptomatic, i.e., lesional, cause of epilepsy were associated with worse performance in attention and executive functions, whereas worse memory performance was related to generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Results indicate a high prevalence of cognitive deficits at an early stage of epilepsy, which calls for consideration in the daily clinical care. Patients appear to underreport cognitive deficits. Thus, a routine application of a brief standardized neuropsychological screening before the initiation of a pharmacological treatment would be appreciated to provide a baseline to evaluate subsequent treatment success, to eventually initiate countermeasures, and to monitor the course of the disease.