Abstracts

RATIONALE: The Children's Memory Scale (CMS) is described as a comprehensive, individually administered learning and memory assessment measure for individuals ages 5 through 16 years. Nine subtests assess functioning in each of three domains: auditory/verbal learning and memory, visual/nonverbal learning and memory, and attention/concentration. The CMS is frequently administered as part of a neuropscyhological evaluation of children with epilepsy, and it is important to determine if it is a useful measure for predicting memory abilities in this population. More specifically, it is important to know if CMS results can help to differentiate between children with temporal lobe epilepsy, who are believed to be at higher risk for learning and memory impairments, and those with extratemporal epilepsy. METHODS: 30 children (mean age = 12.5, range = 7-16 years) with intractable seizures were recruited from an epilepsy-monitoring program. Participants (15 temporal, 15 extratemporal) were administered the CMS as part of a neuropsychological evaluation. RESULTS: The two groups were comparable in age, age of onset of seizures, sex, number of AEDs, and IQ. No significant group differences were found on any of the individual subtest scores or on any of the composite indices of measures of verbal memory, visual memory, learning, and attention in children with temporal-lobe epilepsy and children with extratemporal epilepsy. Further analyses revealed a difference relating to side of lesion on the Immediate recall of faces task, with children with left hemisphere lesions performing more poorly than those with right-sided or bilateral dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that children with temporal-lobe epilepsy did not attain lower scores on the CMS when compared to children with extratemporal epilepsy. The CMS did not differentiate between the two groups, and therefore may not be useful for localizing purposes. This finding is important for neuropsychologists to consider when evaluating children's memory and learning abilities, particularly in the context of preparation for epilepsy surgery. Funded by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation