title: Cognitive functions evaluated by P300 and visual and auditory number assays in children with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (CEOP).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was planned to evaluate cognitive functions, especially attention and immediate recall, in children with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (CEOP), by using P300 and neuropsychological tests, which included visual and auditory number assays. Thirty patients with CEOP, ages ranging from 5 to 17 years were enrolled in the study. Twenty-five healthy children were taken as the control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oddball paradigm was used in P300 recordings. The latency and the amplitude of the P300 wave recorded from Cz were taken into consideration. The neuropsychological test battery included visual and auditory number assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  P300 latency was significantly longer in the CEOP group (p=0.014). The results of the visual and auditory number assay test showed significant decline in the patient group when compared with the normal controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attention and immediate recall deficits as well as prolonged P300 latencies in children with CEOP can be due to an ongoing epileptic activity either influencing the whole brain or only the occipital lobe which can also be involved in the neuropsychological organization of the human cortex. Therefore, children with CEOP should be evaluated with more detailed neuropsychological tests for possible cognitive deficits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Ege University Medical School, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gokcay
authors.forename: Nese
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Celebisoy
authors.forename: Figen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gokcay
authors.forename: Ceyla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Atac
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology