MOTOR IMPAIRMENTS IN CHILDREN WITH EPILEPSY TREATED WITH CARBAMAZEPINE

Nineteen children with epilepsy were tested on two occasions, first du ring treatment with carbamazepine (CBZ) and then 6 months later withou t treatment. Plasma drug concentrations were within the therapeutic li mits in all children. The children were examined with a standardized t est of gross- and fine- motor functions, the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency. Significant improvements were found in response speed(p < 0.05), in composite fine-motor tests (p < 0.01) and in the t otal test battery (p < 0.05) after the treatment had been withdrawn. A tendency to improvement was found in the fine-motor subtest of upper limb coordination (p = 0.08). Another group of 12 children was tested twice during treatment with CBZ with an interval of 6 months. No diffe rence was found in this group except for an impairment of the results in the subtest of visual-motor control on the second test occasion (p = 0.05).