Memory disturbances in Children with Epilepsy: Frontal Lobe Epilepsy, Childhood Absence Epilepsy, and Benign Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes

Abstract Objectives We aimed to compare and characterize the memory function of children with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) for early diagnosis, better management and good quality of life Subjects and Methods Memory was examined in 40 children with epilepsy ,aged 8-16. Results Children with FLE showed significant deficits in verbal and visual memory. In addition, type of epilepsy, earlier age at epilepsy onset, and longer active duration of epilepsy were associated with memory problems. Seizure frequency and treatment, however, did not influence memory performance. This study indicates that children with FLE show greater risk of developing memory deficits than children with CAE or BECTS Conclusion Memory disturbances are more common in epileptic children, affecting their school achievement and hence their quality of life in a negative manner and may be linked to a higher incidence of behavioral changes