This article presents a review of the neural mechanisms underlying emotional processing deficits (EPDs) in individuals with unilateral brain damage. First, key theoretical issues pertaining to the neuropsychology of emotion are presented. These include parameters of emotional processing, the componential approach, emotional domains, and hypotheses regarding hemispheric specialization for emotion. Second, the literature on hemispheric asymmetries for emotion is reviewed in terms of processing mode (perception and expression) and communication channel (facial, prosodic-intonational, and lexical-verbal). Studies involving normal adults and individuals with right- or left-sided brain damage are reviewed. Third, recent findings identifying the role of the right hemisphere in emotional processing are described. The article is concluded by aligning these new data with findings from the general literature, providing added support for the right-hemisphere emotion hypothesis.

The current study examined beliefs about medication and their association with adherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) among predominantly ethnic minority, low-income patients with epilepsy (PWE). Seventy-two PWE completed standardized questionnaires. The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire was used to assess perceptions about AEDs and medications in general. Adherence was measured with the Morisky 4-item scale and via participant self-rating. On the Morisky scale, 63% of patients endorsed at least one item for nonadherence. There was a significant relationship between seizure frequency and adherence (Morisky: r= 0.33, p= 0.006; Self-rating: r =−0.35; p= 0.003). Patients with lower self-rated adherence expressed greater concerns about AEDs (r= −0.25, p= .036) and beliefs that medications, in general, may be intrinsically harmful (r= −0.26; p= 0.032) and minimally beneficial (r= 0.36; p< 0.002), as compared to more adherent patients. These findings inform future educational interventions in this population of PWE.

Effort assessment is of particular importance in pediatric epilepsy where neuropsychological findings may influence treatment decisions, especially if surgical interventions are being considered. The present investigation examines the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) in 60 children and adolescents with epilepsy. The overall pass rate for the sample was 90%. TOMM scores were unrelated to age, though there was a significant correlation between TOMM Trial 2 scores and intelligence estimates. Overall, the TOMM appears to be a valid measure of effort in young epilepsy patients, though caution should be used when interpreting scores for those with very low IQ, especially if behavioral problems are also evident. Caution should also be exercised in interpreting scores in children with ongoing interictal epileptiform activity that may disrupt attention.

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The Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure (ROCF) is commonly used in evaluations of patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. We assessed test-retest performance on ROCF in 30 partial epilepsy patients (mean interval = 33.7 months) to derive reliable change indices (RCIs) and regression-based measures for change. ROCF reproductions were rescored by three raters (IRR Copy: 0.963; Delayed Recall: 0.986). The derived adjusted RC (90% CI) cutoff values for the ROCF Copy were (or=8.4) and were (or=10.0) for the Delayed Recall. Results from regression-based analyses were negative, using age, education, seizure duration, and age of onset, whereas a baseline score was a significant predictor of a follow-up score. The results provide a means to evaluate long-term outcome in epilepsy patients using the ROCF.

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