Executive functioning in children with posterior cortex epilepsy compared to temporal and frontal lobe epilepsies

• Published in: Epilepsy research 2023-05, Vol.192, p.107141-107141, Article 107141
• Main Authors: Lopes-Santos, Lucas Emmanuel, de Angelis, Geisa, Nakano, Frederico Nakane, Thome, Ursula, Velasco, Tonicarlo Rodrigues, Santos, Marcelo Volpon, Machado, Hélio Rubens, Hamad, Ana Paula Andrade, Sakamoto, Américo Ceiki, Wichert-Ana, Lauro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brain; Child; Epilepsy; Epilepsy, Frontal Lobe; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe; Executive Function; Executive functions; Frontal Lobe; Humans; Neuropsychological assessment; Neuropsychological Tests; Surgery
• ISSN: 0920-1211; 1872-6844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2023.107141

People with epilepsy are at an increased risk of experiencing executive dysfunction, particularly those with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE). The literature has also demonstrated alterations in executive functioning (EF) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). However, few studies have examined the neuropsychological profile of posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE), and little attention has been given to cognitive impairments in the pediatric population with PCE. This study aims to investigate EF performance in children with drug-resistant PCE compared to patients with FLE and TLE. We analyzed neuropsychological data from 217 patients aged 6–18 years who underwent preoperative evaluation for epilepsy surgery. The EF of patients with PCE was compared to patients with FLE and TLE. There was no significant difference in Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) means between groups. However, we found a significant effect of brain region on the Coding task, in which patients with PCE and FLE performed worse than those with TLE (p = 0.034). We also observed performance differences between groups on the Stroop test (p = 0.005), with patients with PCE and FLE performing worse than the TLE group. These findings suggest that children with PCE have alterations in their EF that are similar to the deficits found in FLE compared to patients with TLE. This emphasizes the importance of understanding the neuroanatomy of executive functions and the model of neural networks extending beyond the prefrontal cortex. •Executive dysfunction in children with posterior cortex epilepsy is similar to that in frontal lobe epilepsy.•Overall intellectual functioning did not differ between groups.•Our findings broaden the understanding of the neuroanatomy of executive functions.•The executive functions comprise neural networks beyond the prefrontal cortex.