Abstracts

Rationale: Inattention in one of the hallmarks of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a comorbidity rate of up to 50% has been observed in children with epilepsy. We assessed performance across several aspects of attention (visual, auditory, simple/divided, timed/untimed) to specifically characterize attentional functioning in pediatric localization-related epilepsy (LRE) patients. Methods: 40 children with LRE with predominantly left-focus seizures were matched on age (mean= 9.2yrs), gender, and IQ to 40 typically developing children. Patients had normal MRI, mean age of onset of 4.7 years, seizure frequency ranged from daily to <1 per year, and most were on monotherapy (range 0-4 AEDs. 15 children had new-onset (<1 year) epilepsy and 25 had chronic (>3 years) epilepsy. Intelligence was measured with the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Attention was measured via parent behavioral rating scales (Achenbach Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) Attention Problems subscale and DuPaul ADHD Rating Scale-IV), and neuropsychological test performance across subtests from an attention battery (Test of Everyday Attention in Children, TeaCh). Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were conducted. Epilepsy characteristics including age of onset, chronicity, number of seizures, and number of AEDs were examined to explore associations with performance. Results: Patients and controls had comparable IQ (Mean FSIQ= 107, p>.05). Children with LRE had more symptoms than controls on both parent rating scales (CBCL and DuPaul, p<.01). Inattention, but not impulsivity/hyperactivity symptoms were elevated within the patient group on the DuPaul. Five (12.5%) children with epilepsy met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD (4-Inattentive subtype; 1-Combined subtype), while one (2.5%) control met criteria for ADHD (Combined subtype). On the CBCL, 13 patients (32.5%) had clinically significant (T>