Abstracts

RATIONALE: Decreased memory skills have been reported in pediatric patients with epilepsy. However, instruments to evaluate learning and memory in children have been unavailable until recently. The purpose of the present study was to assess verbal learning and memory with the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C) in children with epilepsy. Specifically, the research was designed to evaluate overall learning and memory patterns and to determine the effect of seizure type on memory performance. METHODS: The CVLT-C was administered to 44 children with complex partial seizures and 21 children with generalized seizures between the ages of 8 and 13 years (mean age = 10 yrs, 5 mos). Children in the study had been treated for epilepsy for at least 6 months, had well controlled seizures, were on monotherapy, and had no evidence of anticonvulsant toxicity. Children with learning disabilities or hyperactivity were excluded from the study. Administration of the CVLT-C involved presentation of a 15-item word list over five learning trials with assessment of immediate and delayed recall as well as recognition memory. RESULTS: T-tests did not reveal significant memory differences based on seizure type. Scores for the entire sample were then compared to normative data to determine differences in performance. The total recall score indicated average performance (T-Score = 53.5) for the group. Scores that differed significantly from normative data indicated that the children with epilepsy performed higher than the mean (z = .28) for immediate recall and after a short delay (z = .22). When long delay scores were compared to short delay scores, the children performed below the mean (z = -.18) suggesting greater loss of recall over time. However, the recognitition score (z = .34) and discriminability index (z = .47) suggested that recognition cues improved memory performance. CONCLUSIONS: Overall results do not indicate decreased memory skills for children with well-controlled epilepsy when repetition is provided. Improved memory performance with recognition cues suggests that a multiple choice format may be beneficial on learning tasks for children with epilepsy.