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Neuropsychological, intellectual, and behavioral findings in patients with centrotemporal spikes with and without
Insights
Centrotemporal spikes (rolandic focus) in children are linked to significant impairments in IQ, visual perception, memory, and behavior. These neurodevelopmental effects are associated with spike frequency, not seizure activity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Centrotemporal spikes, often referred to as a rolandic focus, are a common EEG finding in children.
- Historically, this finding has been considered benign, especially in the absence of seizures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the neuropsychological, intellectual, and behavioral outcomes in children with centrotemporal spikes.
- To compare these outcomes with a matched group of healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Neuropsychological, intellectual, and behavioral assessments were conducted on 40 children with centrotemporal spikes and 40 age-, sex-, and socioeconomic status-matched healthy controls.
- EEG data, including spike frequency and seizure history, were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Children with centrotemporal spikes demonstrated significant impairments in IQ, visual perception, short-term memory, psychiatric status, and fine motor skills compared to controls.
- No significant differences were observed in simple finger-motor speed or linguistic performance.
- IQ deficits correlated significantly with EEG spike frequency, but not with seizure frequency or focus lateralization.
Conclusions:
- A rolandic focus in children is associated with significant neurodevelopmental deficits, challenging the notion of its benign nature.
- The frequency of EEG spikes, rather than seizures, appears to be a key factor influencing cognitive outcomes.
Abstract:
Forty children (23 boys, 17 girls) with centrotemporal spikes (rolandic focus) with and without seizures (mean age 8.4 years +/- 4.8 SD), and 40 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status were assessed for their neuropsychological, intellectual, and behavioral outcome. Compared with the controls, patients were significantly impaired in their IQ, visual perception, short-term memory, in their psychiatric status and in some subtests in a fine motor performance task. No significant differences could be computed for a simple finger-motor speed exercise or a linguistic performance test. In patients, deficits in IQ were significantly correlated with frequency of spikes in the EEG, but not with frequency of seizures, lateralization of the rolandic focus, or time since rolandic focus was diagnosed. It was concluded that a rolandic focus is not as benign as once thought.