COMPARISON OF ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN NEWLY-DIAGNOSED EPILEPTIC CHILDREN - A PSYCHOMETRIC AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY

Using a randomized parallel group study design, we compared the cognit ive effects of carbamazepine (CBZ), phenobarbital (PB), and valproate (VPA) in children with epilepsy. Seventy-three children with newly dia gnosed epilepsy were tested with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for C hildren-Revised (WISC-R), Bender-Gestalt test, and auditory event-rela ted potentials (P (300)) before and 6 and 12 months after antiepilepti c drug (AED) treatment. There were no significant differences in WISC- R IQs and Bender-Gestalt scores for children in any group at any of th e three sessions. P-300 latencies were increased in the children recei ving PB but not in children receiving CBZ and VPA. P-300 amplitudes we re significantly reduced in treated children in all three groups, but amplitudes were not significantly different among the three groups. Th ese findings suggest that PB may affect cognitive function of epilepti c children and that the P-300 may be a sensitive additional procedure that can be used to assess the cognitive effect of AEDs.