Correlation between Cognition and Behavior in Epilepsy

Abstract

Summary:Cognitive function is more frequently impaired in people with epilepsy than in the general population, and the degree of cognitive impairment varies according to the epilepsy syndrome. Behavioral disorders are also more frequent in people with epilepsy than in individuals who do not have epilepsy. Behavioral disturbance is observed more frequently in people with drug-resistant epilepsy, frequent seizures, and/or associated neurological or mental abnormalities. In children and adolescents, many data suggest a close link between behavior/cognition and some specific epilepsy syndromes. For example, aspects of mood, behavior, personality, and cognition may be related to temporal lobe epilepsy or juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Behavioral disorders may precede, occur with, or follow a diagnosis of epilepsy; they differ between children and adults. Predictors of behavioral disorders in children with epilepsy are the epilepsy itself, treatment, the underlying lesion, and personal reactions to epilepsy. More specifically, conditions in which behavioral disorders may be associated with epilepsy include depression, psychosis, particular personality traits, aggression, anxiety, and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.

Frontal Lobe Epilepsies: Neuropsychological and Behavioral Consequences in Children

“…Luton et al (2010) used the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and confirmed that FLE children have a limited capacity for selfregulation and independent organization, they are easily distracted, and they have difficulty in completing a task assigned to them and in assessing their own progress as they go along. The cognitive and behavioral problems of children with focal epilepsies often also interfere with the development of adaptive and social skills (Cornaggia, 2006). This was confirmed by Culhane-Shelburne et al (2002), who reported a poor adaptive functioning, as assessed using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), in which FLE children obtain slightly lower than normal scores in all three subdomains: Communication, Daily abilities and Socialization.…”

Behavioral profiles of children with epilepsy: Parent and teacher reports of emotional, behavioral, and educational concerns on the BASC‐2

“…As such, the children with a frontal lobe focus may be a more pure comparison group. Cornaggia, Beghi, Provenzi, and Beghi (2006) suggest that children with epilepsy may have higher rates of depression if their seizures involve limbic structures in the brain, which are believed to be important in mood regulation. Because the temporal lobes contain and are closely connected with limbic structures, individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy are often considered to be at greater risk for depression (Piazzini & Canger, 2001).…”

Altered behavior and neural activity in conspecific cagemates co-housed with mouse models of brain disorders

“…Many patients with epilepsy suffer from psychiatric comorbidities, including social dysfunctions, cognitive impairment, anxiety disorders, and psychosis [71][72][73][74]. Experimental models of TLE such as the pilocarpine model result in abnormal behaviors that are similar to behavioral comorbidities in patients with TLE [75][76][77].…”