title: Cognitive and behavioral effects of antiepileptic drugs.
abstract: All antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have the potential for adverse effects on cognition and behavior. Most of the major AEDs, administered in therapeutic doses, cause little or no cognitive or behavioral impairment in group studies. However, individual variability is considerable, and some patients do not tolerate low serum levels, whereas others tolerate high levels without subjective or objective effects. In the past, carbamazepine (CBZ) and valproate (VPA) have been reported to have the fewest adverse cognitive and behavioral effects in children and adults. However, several recent, well-controlled studies have not found significant differences between the effects of phenytoin (PHT) and those of CBZ or VPA. Greater adverse effects have been found for phenobarbital (PB). However, we must use environmentally relevant measures of cognitive and behavioral functioning to measure effects on daily functioning. Future studies must define cognitive and behavioral toxicity in subpopulations (e.g., post-traumatic epilepsy, mental retardation, depression) and with the new AEDs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York 10003, USA.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Devinsky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D015982:Bias; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018579:Patient Selection; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants