Comparing some Cognitive Processes in Epileptic Patients before and after Treatment

Epileptic patients are more prone to cognitive problems. Epilepsy per se may lead to cognitive impairments or it may intensify the already available impairments. A variety of factors have been known to affect these impairments, including: neuropathology, seizure type and age at seizure onset, psychosocial problems and side effects of drug therapy. Treatment of epilepsy may improve cognitive disturbances through decreasing or controlling seizures. A group of 50 epileptic patients with partial (simple and complex type) and generalized seizures, with cognitive disturbances, initially examined before the onset of treatment program and then again after 3 months when they were seizure free. Some of the cognitive functions, such as intelligence (verbal, practical and total), memory, spatial perception and self-image were examined through psycho neurological tests. Patients were between 20 to 40 years old, and their education was at least third grade of Junior High School. None of the patients had used any antiepileptic drug about 6 months before starting treatment and carbamazepine was prescribed for controlling seizures. Findings indicate that observed deficits in intelligence and memory, improved after the seizures were controlled and it was statistically significant at P < 0/01 level, while no statistical improvement was observed in spatial perception and self-image for the patients.