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Mechanisms Responsible for Cognitive Impairment in Epilepsy
Pierre-Pascal Lenck-Santini1, Rodney C Scott2
1Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405.
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine
|September 5, 2015
Summary
Epilepsy significantly impacts cognitive function by disrupting information processing. This review explores how seizures and interictal discharges (IDs) contribute to these cognitive deficits in epilepsy disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Neurology
Background:
- Epilepsy frequently causes cognitive and behavioral impairments, affecting patients' quality of life.
- The precise mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits in epilepsy remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define the nature of cognitive deficits in epilepsy.
- To review systems-level mechanisms of information processing.
- To describe information processing dysfunction in epilepsy and its contributing factors.
Main Methods:
- Systems-level analysis of information processing.
- Review of literature on epilepsy, cognitive deficits, seizures, and interictal discharges (IDs).
Main Results:
- Cognitive impairments in epilepsy are linked to disruptions in information processing.
- Etiology, seizures, and interictal discharges (IDs) are investigated as contributors to these dysfunctions.
Conclusions:
- Information processing dysfunction is a key factor in epilepsy-associated cognitive deficits.
- Further detailed investigation into these mechanisms is warranted.
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