Prevalence and Factors Influencing Visual Memory Dysfunction among Epilepsy Patients-A Single-Center Study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Epilepsy is frequently linked to cognitive impairments.
• These deficits can stem from the condition itself or from antiepileptic drug (AED) side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of visual memory dysfunction in epilepsy patients.
• To identify key predictors contributing to this visual memory impairment.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 250 epilepsy patients.
• Visual memory assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale-IV (WMS-IV).
• Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA (P < 0.05).

Main Results:

• 37.2% of epilepsy patients exhibited visual memory dysfunction.
• Factors associated with impairment: older age, lower education, combined epilepsy types, longer epilepsy duration, more AEDs, and abnormal neuroimaging.
• Logistic regression identified education, epilepsy type, and AED count as significant predictors.

Conclusions:

• Visual memory dysfunction in epilepsy is multifactorial.
• Identified modifiable factors (education, AEDs) can guide treatment optimization.
• WMS-IV is effective for assessing visual memory and informing clinical management.