Neuropsychological endophenotypes in ADHD with and without epilepsy
William S MacAllister1, Marsha Vasserman, Pooja Vekaria
1Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA. William.MacAllister@nyumc.org
Applied Neuropsychology. Child
|February 23, 2013
Summary
Children with ADHD and epilepsy show poorer cognitive function compared to those with ADHD alone. Seizure frequency and medication impact cognitive deficits in ADHD with epilepsy, highlighting distinct endophenotypes.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occurs with epilepsy in children.
- The distinct neuropsychological profiles of ADHD in developmental contexts versus ADHD comorbid with epilepsy remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare neuropsychological endophenotypes between children with developmental ADHD and children with ADHD comorbid with epilepsy.
- To investigate the influence of epilepsy-related variables on cognitive function in children with ADHD and epilepsy.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of clinically referred children with ADHD-Inattentive (ADHD-I) and ADHD-Combined (ADHD-C) subtypes, with and without epilepsy.
- Assessment using neuropsychological measures including intellectual functioning, auditory attention, working memory, and sustained attention/response inhibition.
- Correlational analyses examining seizure frequency and antiepilepsy medication load in epilepsy groups.
Main Results:
- Children with ADHD and epilepsy exhibited poorer performance on measures of intellectual functioning (IQ), auditory attention, and working memory compared to children with ADHD alone.
- Significant differences were observed across groups on a continuous performance test.
- Seizure frequency and the number of antiepilepsy medications were correlated with cognitive dysfunction in the epilepsy cohorts.
Conclusions:
- Neuropsychological endophenotypes of ADHD differ between developmental ADHD and ADHD in the context of epilepsy.
- Epilepsy-related variables, such as seizure characteristics and medication, significantly predict cognitive impairments in children with comorbid ADHD and epilepsy.
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