[Memory and epilepsy]

The neuropsychological literature has shown the presence of memory deficits in patients with epilepsy. These alterations in memory are due to several factors, such as the aetiology of the epilepsy, age at onset of the seizures, the duration of the disorder, and the frequency and type of the epileptic seizures.

These memory defects reflect the structural and functional damage caused by the repeated epileptic seizures and/or the anti-epileptic drugs. Apart from this, neuro-surgical treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy may also lead to memory defects. These will depend on the site and side of the epileptic focus, the level of memory prior to surgery, the age of onset of the epileptic seizures, the chronological age at the time of operation and the reduction in the number of seizures after surgery. In spite of the evidence that memory is affected in patients with epilepsy, this does not mean that all people with epilepsy have these changes.

Neuropsychological examination is of fundamental clinical importance since it allows the evaluation of cognitive function in each patient, and thus permits optimization of both the pharmacological treatment and intellectual and physical performance.