Cognitive development in benign focal epilepsies of childhood

Benign focal epilepsy of childhood (BFEC) is the most common form of epilep sy, in children from 3 to 12 years. Its prognosis is always favourable as f ar as the epilepsy is concerned. Nevertheless, recent clinical data suggest that children affected by BFEC are more likely to show learning difficulti es and behavioural disturbances than their peers. We report here the prelim inary findings of a prospective study of 22 children affected with BFEC. El ectroclinical and neuropsychological changes observed during the first 18 m onths of the follow-up strengthen the conclusion of recent neuropsychologic al studies stressing the correlation between epilepsy and cognitive perform ances. The cognitive deficits affecting mainly non-verbal functions were si gnificantly correlated with the frequency of seizures and spike-wave discha rges and to the lateralization of the epileptic focus in the right hemisphe re, whereas frontal functions like attention control, response organization and fine motor speed, were impaired in the presence of active BFEC indepen dently of the lateralization of the epileptic focus. Our results indicate t hat maturing cognitive functions subserved by a cortical area distant from the epileptic focus are susceptible to interference with epilepsy. Copyrigh t (C) 1999 S.Karger AG, Basel.