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Published on: December 18, 2016
Neurocognitive and psychological comorbidities in patients with self-limited centrotemporal spike epilepsy. A
E Sousa1, M Pinto1, M Ferreira1
1Centro Hospitalar do Tâmega e Sousa, Penafiel, Portugal.
Insights
Children with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS) often experience executive function and behavioral issues. Early screening for these cognitive and emotional problems is crucial for SeLECTS patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Epilepsy Research
Background:
- Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS) is the most common focal epilepsy in children.
- Understanding the full spectrum of SeLECTS impact, including cognitive and behavioral aspects, is essential for comprehensive patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the cognitive, behavioral, and neuropsychological profiles of children diagnosed with SeLECTS.
- To compare these profiles against a matched control group of healthy children.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 18 children with SeLECTS and 36 age-matched controls.
- Participants completed the EpiTrack Junior® for cognitive assessment.
- Parents filled out the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for behavioral evaluation.
Main Results:
- While not statistically significant, 61% of SeLECTS cases showed executive function impairments compared to 44% of controls.
- 39% of SeLECTS cases had clinically significant behavioral problems on the CBCL, versus 14% in controls.
- No significant influence of seizure focus laterality or seizure count on test scores was observed.
Conclusions:
- Most children with SeLECTS exhibit mild to significant executive function deficits.
- A notable percentage of SeLECTS patients present with emotional and behavioral challenges.
- Routine screening for cognitive and behavioral issues is recommended for all children with SeLECTS.
Introduction:
Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS) is the most frequent self-limited focal epilepsy. This study aimed to assess the cognitive, behavioral, and other neuropsychological aspects of children with SeLECTS, and compare them with a control group.
Subjects And Methods:
A case-control study was carried out between January and May 2022. Patients with SeLECTS, aged between 6 and 18 years, and followed-up at our hospital were selected for inclusion in the study. For each case, two age-matched controls were opportunistically recruited. All the participants performed the EpiTrack Junior® test, and their parents filled out the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
Results:
Eighteen patients were included (mean age: 8.7 ± 1.7 years). At SeLECTS' diagnosis, 83% of cases had adequate psychomotor development, and 17% had a neurodevelopmental disorder. The EpiTrack-Junior® and the Total Problems CBCL scores were not influenced by the laterality of the epileptic focus nor by the number of seizures. 61% of cases showed mild or significant impairment in the EpiTrack-Junior® test versus 44% of controls (p = 0.712), and 39% of cases vs. 14% of controls had 'clinically significant' scores on the Total Problems CBCL scale (p = 0.087).
Conclusions:
Although this study did not find statistically significant differences between cases and controls, it should be noted that most patients with SeLECTS had a mild or significant disability in executive functions. A considerable percentage of cases were in the pathological range regarding emotional/behavioral problems. This study highlights the importance of screening the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems in all patients with SeLECTS.
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