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SUMMARYObjective: This study aimed to explore the effects of theory of mind (ToM) and related potential risk factors, including cognitive functions, psychiatric status, and seizure-related clinical variables, on social functioning in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods: Sixty-seven patients with intractable TLE who were potential candidates for epilepsy surgery and 30 matched controls were included. All participants completed four tasks measuring different levels of ToM (False Belief, Faux Pas Recognition, Implication Stories, and Visual Cartoon), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Social and Occupational Functioning Scale for Epilepsy (SOFSE), and neuropsychological tests. Results: The patients exhibited impairments in both basic and advanced ToM. Multiple regression analyses revealed the following: (1) the SOFSE total score was significantly predicted by the Faux Pas Recognition (FPR), Global Severity Index (GSI) score of the SCL-90-R, and Full-Scale intelligence quotient (IQ) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), which accounted for 38%, 11%, and 8% of the variance, respectively; and (2) the FPR was a significant predictor of all SOFSE subscales, whereas the GSI score contributed substantially to the Interpersonal Relationships, Communication, and Occupation subscales of the SOFSE. Significance: Advanced ToM, measured by impaired faux pas recognition, is a relatively strong predictor of poor social functioning in surgical candidates for intractable TLE. Identifying ToM impairment may help plan nonpharmacologic treatment for improving social functions in patients with intractable TLE.

SUMMARYPurpose: To develop and validate a scale of social functioning for people with epilepsy (PWE)-the Social and Occupational Functioning Scale for Epilepsy (SOFSE). Methods: According to the literature review and opinions from a panel of experts, PWE, and caregivers, a total of 31 questions were compiled. Questionnaires were analyzed from 172 adults with epilepsy. Key Findings: The final scale had 30 items in six dimensions. The results showed that internal consistency coefficients and test-retest reliabilities for each dimension ranged from 0.70 to 0.84 and 0.72 to 0.89, respectively. Retest reliability for the total SOFSE score was 0.92. Seven factors were extracted through principal factor analysis. Moreover, criterion-related validity was demonstrated by the significant correlations between the SOFSE and the following measures: the Mini Mental Status Examination (r = 0.60, p < 0.001), the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (r = 0.53, p < 0.001), and the Global Severity Index of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (r = À0.66, p < 0.001). Finally, the differences in functional competence among patients also supported the discriminant validity of the inventory. Significance: The SOFSE is a brief, psychometrically sound, and easy-to-administer measure of social functioning for use in busy clinical settings. KEY WORDS: Inventory, Questionnaire, Quality of life, Reliability, Validity.Epilepsy is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent seizures and has significant psychological and social consequences for everyday living. People with epilepsy (PWE), even those with well-controlled seizures, may face emotional distress, low self-esteem, reduced social interactions, decreased job opportunities, and problems with daily activities (Hermann & Jacoby, 2009;McCagh et al., 2009). Assessing quality of life (QoL) in epilepsy is now a common approach to determining the psychosocial impact of seizures and of treatment outcomes on patients' lives (Lee, 2010). Numerous epilepsy-specific QoL instruments have been developed, such as the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-89 (QOLIE-89) inventory (Devinsky et al., 1995), and most of them are self-rated evaluations of the effects of seizures on physical, psychological, and social aspects of life (Leone et al., 2005).QoL can be measured both subjectively (e.g., an indicator of satisfaction with life in general) and objectively (e.g., indicators of health and living conditions; McDowell, 2006;Brissos et al., 2011). However, certain disadvantages have been noted for these QoL measures. For instance, the same QoL measure can be interpreted differently depending on the individual, according to their subjective views of reality at the time of interview (Stennar et al., 2003;McDowell, 2006). Moreover, the patient may adapt to his/her illness and modify his/her perspective on the severity of the disease; this means that changes in patient-rated QoL over time do not correspond with objective measures of loss of function (McDowell, 2006). Therefore, it has been suggested that QoL does not determin...

The authors present a rare case of an infarction complication 15 days following acute intraventricular bleeding due to moyamoya disease. Before the infarction occurred, perfusion CT imaging disclosed early but reversible ischemic injury on the day of hemorrhage. Dehydration and hypotension are both possibly contributing factors of progressive injury from reversible ischemia due to infarction. Although the patient underwent successful bypass surgery, 1 month after the ictus the neurobehavior evaluation still showed marked executive dysfunction. The authors address that, in hemorrhagic-type moyamoya disease, early perfusion CT scanning is not only a powerful tool to identify the high-risk group of patients who could experience subacute infarction, but also alarms neurosurgeons to eliminate any predisposing factors when it shows reversible ischemic injuries.

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Purpose This cross-sectional pilot study aimed to compare the effects of chemotherapy and targeted therapy on neuropsychological performance and psychiatric symptoms in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients and methods A total of 113 patients with NSCLC were recruited. According to their type of cancer treatment, the patients were classified into chemotherapy (n=40), targeted therapy (n=33), and untreated control (n=40) groups. All participants completed five objective tests measuring various domains of cognitive function, a subjective cognitive functioning scale (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Cognitive Function; FACT-cog), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) either within 6 months after diagnosis (for the untreated group) or about 18 months after treatment. Results Overall, there were no significant intergroup differences in the proportions of patients with abnormal cognitive performance and psychiatric disturbances. Among the untreated NSCLC patients, 35% had impaired performance in at least one cognitive domain, and a comparable finding (30%–35%) was made for the other two treatment groups. The proportion of patients with impaired psychomotor speed was the highest (10%–15%) across various cognitive domains. Moreover, a significant proportion of NSCLC patients (15%–20%) exhibited HADS-defined anxiety and depression disorder. Finally, significant correlations were found between FACT-cog total scores and the HADS Depression subscale across all three groups. Conclusion This study demonstrated that 1) a substantial proportion of NSCLC patients exhibited cognitive impairments (especially regarding psychomotor speed) and psychiatric disturbances; 2) no significant differences were observed among the three patient groups for any subjective or objective measure of cognitive deficit; and 3) perceived cognitive impairment was significantly associated with depression or anxiety. Prompt treatment of psychiatric disorders to minimize their impact is therefore recommended.

Suppressed Digit Span performance has been proposed as an embedded indicator for suboptimal effort detection in neuropsychological evaluations in Western societies, particularly in the USA. However, its effectiveness in Chinese countries remains unexplored. The purposes of this study were first to explore normative Digit Span performance patterns between the Taiwan and American standardization samples, then to examine performances of patients with traumatic brain injury and with psychiatric diseases on the embedded measures (the Digit Span Scaled Score, Vocabulary minus Digit Span difference score, Reliable Digit Span, and the longest string of digits forward and backward) through retrospective data analysis. The normative Digit Span performance differs between the two cultural populations. Although litigating and nonlitigating participants perform differently on these measures, further prospective studies are needed to explore this issue with comprehensive external corroborating validity data.

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