Abstracts

Rationale: Patients with epilepsy are at significant risk for cognitive impairment. The aim of this study is to assess the cognitive functions in epileptic patients with partial (simple and complex ) and generalized (primary and secondary) seizures.Methods: Cognitive functions in 17 epileptic patients with partial epilepsy (Group I) and 15 patients with generalized epilepsy (Grup II) were underwent the neuropsychological battery tests. To control attention, Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) III- IV and V; to evaluate short and long visual memory, WMS VI were used. Oget Oktem Verbal Memory Process Test (OOVMT- A Turkish validated memory test) was used for verbal memory. Beck depression scale was also applied to all patients.Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups respect to age, duration of epilepsy, education level and depression scores. Our results revealed no statistical difference between the two groups in cognitive performance. However, when compared to the cut off values, the rates of cognitive decline were significant between the groups as follows: WMS III (Grup I: 24%, Grup II: 33%), WMS IV (Group I: 59%, Group II: 40%), WMS V (Forward Digit Span: Group I: 29%, Group II: 13%; Backward Digit Span: Group I: 24%, Group II: 20%), WMS VI (Short visual memory: Group I: 59%, Group II: 67%; Long visual memory: Group I: 59%, Group II: 60%), OOVMT (Group I: 67%, Group II: 82%).Conclusions: Partial and generalized seizures can cause cognitive decline. On the individual test scores, visual memory, verbal memory, and complex attention tasks perfomance were more deterioted than simple attention tasks. There were stronger decline in generalized seizures as compared to partial seizures. The cognitive impairment in simple attention tasks were better than complex attention tasks. Therefore, we conclude that memory impairment may be linked to complex attention deficit in epileptic patients