[Diagnosis and correction of cognitive impairment in preschool age children with epilepsy]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Epilepsy in children is often associated with cognitive impairment.
• Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for managing cognitive deficits in pediatric epilepsy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of hopantenic acid (pantogam) in improving cognitive function in children aged 4-7 years with epilepsy.
• To assess the impact of pantogam on cognitive impairment in children with both cryptogenic and symptomatic epilepsy.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 40 children treated with pantogam and 23 controls.
• Neurocognitive assessments included the Luscher Color Test, "Piano playing test," "Three word test," and "Four is redundant test."
• Clinical evaluation included routine EEG, video-EEG monitoring, and brain MRI.

Main Results:

• Children treated with pantogam showed a significant decrease in cognitive impairment compared to the control group.
• 15% of patients exhibited normalized EEG and improved cognitive function after 2 months of pantogam treatment.
• Hopantenic acid demonstrated good tolerability with no observed increase in seizure frequency.

Conclusions:

• Hopantenic acid (pantogam) is an effective treatment for cognitive impairment in children with epilepsy.
• Pantogam offers a safe therapeutic option, improving cognitive deficits without exacerbating seizures.