Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Hippocampal Sclerosis: cognitive function assessment in Hispanic patients

ODDO SILVIA; SOLIS PATRICIA; CONSALVO DAMIÁN; GIAGANTE BRENDA; SILVA WALTER; D´ALESSIO LUCIANA; CENTURIÓN ESTELA; SAIDON PATRICIA; KOCHEN SILVIA

Epilepsy & behaviour

Año: 2003 vol. 4 p. 717 - 722

Purpose: To assess the cognitive function status in patients with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis (TLE+HS) to determine their cognitive function profile and to correlate material-specific memory deficits with HS laterality diagnosed by MRI. Seventy one patients were assessed with a Neuropsychological Protocol that includes IQ, attention, handedness, verbal memory, visual memory, language and the executive function. The Chi Square and correlation tests were used. Memory impairment was found in 46 patients (66%). Patients without any memory deficit (n=25), patients with verbal memory deficit (n=21), patients with visual memory deficit (n=17), patients with deficit for both types of memory (n=8). Correlation between MRI lesion and memory was 66%. Language was impaired in 33 patients (46%). Eighteen patients (25%) had deficit of the executive function. Patients with TLE+HS presented with deficit in material-specific episodic memory correlating in a high proportion with the HS lateralization. We also found language and executive function impairments