title: Lateralized effects of subclinical epileptiform EEG discharges on scholastic performance in children.
abstract: The interaction between lateralization of subclinical epileptiform discharges and cognitive tasks was investigated in 21 children (12 girls and 9 boys, mean age 10.6 years). Seventeen had a diagnosis of epilepsy (partial or secondarily generalized). Testing was by reading, arithmetic, and intelligence subtests during continuous telemetric EEG and video monitoring. Children with left-sided discharges had significantly lower reading performance than children with right-sided discharges. During reading, epileptiform discharges occurred relatively less frequently and with a shorter total duration over the left hemisphere than the right. This supports the view that cognitive tasks suppress epileptiform discharges when they activate a region of the brain within the epileptogenic zone. Discharges from other epileptogenic zones not directly activated by the tasks are increased, however.
authors: Instituut voor Epilepsiebestrijding Meer en Bosch, and De Cruquiushoeve, Heemstede, The Netherlands.
authors: D G
authors: DG
authors: Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenité
authors: B M
authors: BM
authors: Siebelink
authors: S G
authors: SG
authors: Berends
authors: J W
authors: JW
authors: van Strien
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Meinardi
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011932:Reading