INFLUENCE OF VIGABATRIN ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCES AND BEHAVIOR IN PATIENTS WITH DRUG-RESISTANT EPILEPSY

Introduction - The aim of this research was to evaluate changes in cog nitive performances, mood and quality of life in drug-resistant epilep tic patients, after the introduction of Vigabatrin (VGB) as additional treatment. Material and methods - A four-step evaluation was carried out in two groups of 20 patients each, randomly assigned to VGB or pla cebo treatment. A battery of neuropsychological tests investigating at tention, memory and adaptive abilities, associated with inventories co ncerning depression, quality of life and the concern of families upon patient behaviour, were utilised. For each subject, four evaluations w ere performed, two before and two after VGB/placebo administration. Re sults - No relevant side-effects regarding cognition and behaviour wer e detected in the VGB group. The intra-group comparison between pre- a nd post-treatment phases showed a slight improvement in cognitive perf ormances of VGB patients and a positive change in their overall psycho logical status. The inter-group comparison confirmed the selective imp rovement occurring in the trend of a few neuropsychological test score s in the VGB group. Conclusion - Such results help to reject the hypot hesis that the addition of VGB to the current antiepileptic treatment may affect cognitive performances and behaviour.