VERBAL-LEARNING AND MEMORY IN NEWLY-DIAGNOSED PARTIAL EPILEPSY

Verbal learning and memory of 56 adults with newly diagnosed partial e pilepsy and no other known brain pathology were compared with memory p erformance of a normal control group. Memory was evaluated with a list learning test and with recall of logical prose under both immediate a nd delayed recall conditions. The patients and the controls did not di ffer in immediate and delayed recall of logical prose. Also learning a nd immediate recall of the word list was comparable in both groups. Af ter delay the patients recalled fewer words than the control group (P < 0.001), and the percent retention of words was lower in the patients (P < 0.001). The patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy more frequent ly exhibited mild verbal memory dysfunction as shown in delayed recall of word list. Moderate memory impairment is seen in a group of patien ts who have deficits in immediate and delayed memory. Follow-up is nee ded to find out whether patients with memory deficits at the time of d iagnosis are those who develop intractable chronic epilepsy.