Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Rhys ThomasORCiD
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
The study of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is important in that: it is common and heterogeneous; the etiology is unknown; and patients report broad cognitive problems. We utilized a broad battery of neuropsychometric tests to assess the following: intellectual function, memory, language and naming, executive function, the impact of epilepsy, and antiepilepsy drug side effects. Sixty people with drug-refractory JME were interviewed, and performance was profoundly impaired across the range of tests. Impairments included the following: full-scale IQ (89, p. <. 0.001); processing speed (86, p. <. 0.001); visual memory (immediate and delayed) more affected than verbal memory; verbal fluency and inhibition (p. <. 0.001); and self-reported drug side effects (p. <. 0.001). Eighty-three percent of patients exhibited frank executive dysfunction, which was moderate to severe in 66%. Regression modeling confirmed that an early age at onset and the need for polytherapy were associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. This study confirms previous reports of executive dysfunction in a larger cohort and with greater statistical rigor. We also identified a high prevalence of neurotoxicity symptoms such as fatigue and poorer functioning across intellectual and memory tests than had previously been reported. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.
Author(s): Thomas RH, Walsh J, Church C, Marson AG, Baker GA, Rees MI
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Epilepsy and Behavior
Year: 2014
Volume: 36
Pages: 124-129
Print publication date: 01/07/2014
Online publication date: 02/06/2014
Acceptance date: 30/04/2014
ISSN (print): 1525-5050
ISSN (electronic): 1525-5069
Publisher: Academic Press Inc.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.04.027
DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.04.027
PubMed id: 24938758
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
