Investigating neuropsychological functions in pediatric epilepsy: a cross-sectional study
Andreas Holmberg Busch1, Michelle Østergaard1, Emil Stiil Vium1
1Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
Insights
Children with epilepsy (CWE) experience widespread neuropsychological deficits impacting daily life. This study found significant impairments in cognitive functions, highlighting the need for comprehensive support beyond seizure management.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Children with epilepsy (CWE) face challenges beyond seizures, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral issues.
- These challenges significantly affect their development, academic success, and overall quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate neuropsychological functions in school-aged children with epilepsy (CWE) using a comprehensive test battery.
- To explore associations between neuropsychological performance and epilepsy-related variables in CWE.
- To investigate differences in neuropsychological functions among various epilepsy subtypes.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 89 CWE (aged 6-17) from Danish outpatient pediatric clinics.
- Standardized neuropsychological tests administered by trained neuropsychologists, covering intelligence, memory, attention, executive functions, and affect recognition.
- Data analysis compared CWE performance to normative means and explored correlations with epilepsy characteristics.
Main Results:
- CWE demonstrated impaired neuropsychological performance across multiple domains compared to normative data (e.g., intelligence, mean z = -0.59).
- No significant correlations were found between age at epilepsy onset, sex, early onset (before age 10), or number of antiseizure medications and neuropsychological deficits.
- No significant differences in neuropsychological function were observed between different epilepsy subtypes.
Conclusions:
- Children with epilepsy attending outpatient clinics and regular schools exhibit a wide range of neuropsychological problems.
- These findings underscore the pervasive impact of epilepsy on cognitive and functional outcomes in children.
- Further research and interventions are needed to address these multifaceted challenges in CWE.
Objective:
Children with epilepsy (CWE) face problems beyond seizures, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems, impacting their development, academic achievements, and quality of life. This study evaluated neuropsychological functions using a broad test battery and explored associations with epilepsy-related variables in CWE aged six to 17 attending regular school. Secondarily, differences in neuropsychological functions between epilepsy subtypes were explored.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study included 89 CWE from two outpatient pediatric clinics in Denmark. Neuropsychological performance was assessed by trained neuropsychologists using standardized tests. Subtests were grouped into eight domains: Intelligence, memory and learning, attention, working memory, fluency, processing speed, planning and shifting as key executive functions, and affect recognition.
Results:
CWE showed impaired neuropsychological performance compared to normative means across multiple domains, exemplified by intelligence (mean z: -0.59, 95% CI= -0.81, -0.38). Similar impairments were observed in several other domains. No significant correlation was found between age at epilepsy onset and neuropsychological performance. Sex, epilepsy onset before 10 years, and the number of antiseizure medications were not associated with performance below the normative mean. No significant differences were observed between epilepsy groups.
Conclusion:
Our results indicate that CWE attending outpatient clinics and regular schools have a broad spectrum of neuropsychological problems.
