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Relationships between cognitive function, seizure control, and self-reported leisure-time exercise in epilepsy.
Johanna L Popp1, Jerzy P Szaflarski2, Manmeet Kaur1
1University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Department of Neurology, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Epilepsy & Behavior : E&B
|March 26, 2021
Summary
Physical exercise may improve cognitive function in people with idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE). Higher leisure-time physical activity correlated with better cognition in IGE patients and healthy controls.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epileptology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE) are often associated with cognitive deficits.
- Physical exercise is a potential intervention to improve cognitive function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cognitive function and leisure-time physical exercise (PEL) in individuals with IGE.
- To compare cognitive function and PEL levels between seizure-free (IGE-) and non-seizure-free (IGE+) individuals with IGE and healthy controls (HCs).
Main Methods:
- 75 participants (31 IGE, 44 HCs) completed quality of life, physical activity, and cognitive assessments.
- Group comparisons and Pearson correlations were used to analyze relationships between PEL and cognitive performance.
Main Results:
- Individuals with IGE showed worse cognitive performance and lower PEL compared to HCs.
- Cognitive impairments were more pronounced in the IGE+ group.
- Leisure-time PEL positively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores and flanker task accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with IGE experience cognitive impairments and reduced physical activity.
- While physical exercise shows a positive association with cognitive function, further research is needed to understand this interaction in epilepsy.
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