Abstracts

The neuropsychological (NP) outcomes of children with epilepsy and mental retardation (MR) are not well understood. This study investigated the association of age of seizure onset and duration of disorder on NP functioning in children with epilepsy and low IQ or mild MR. An earlier age of onset and a longer duration of disorder were expected to be associated with poorer overall NP functioning. Participants were 37 children (43 % female) ages 9 to 16 years ([italic]M=12.7, SD=2.1[/italic]). Mean age of onset was 5.7 years ([italic]SD=3.6[/italic]) and mean duration of disorder was 7.1 years ([italic]SD=4.1[/italic]). Inclusion criteria were that children had a diagnosis of mild MR or were suspected of having a borderline IQ based on a history of poor school performance. Information on seizure variables was collected from the primary caregiver. Participants completed a battery of NP tests that assessed academic achievement, language, memory, verbal learning, attention, and processing speed. The achievement domain was a composite of mean standard scores for the reading, calculation, and spelling subtests. Data were analyzed using Pearson[apos]s correlation. Age of seizure onset was found to be positively correlated with achievement r = .42, p [lt] .05. Children who were older when they had their first seizure performed better on the achievement domain than those who were younger at seizure onset. Duration of the seizure disorder was found to be negatively correlated with achievement r = -.36, p [lt] .05. Children who had had epilepsy for a longer amount of time performed more poorly on the achievement domain than those who had the disorder for a shorter duration. All other correlations were not significant (p [gt] .10). Early age of onset and longer duration of epilepsy were associated with academic achievement, but not with specific aspects of cognitive function. These findings suggest that children with low IQ and epilepsy are at maximum risk for academic problems. This study expands past studies by extending testing to specific cognitive functions in children with low IQ and epilepsy. (Supported by RO1 NR 004536-05S1 from NIH-NINR to J.K.A.)