title: Neurocognitive evaluation in children with occipital lobe epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to explore cognitive functions in patients with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (CEOP) and to compare the performance of these patients with that of patients with symptomatic occipital epilepsy (SOE) and healthy control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight patients with epilepsy (17 CEOP, 11 SOE) were enrolled. The control group had similar demographical characteristics. Cognitive functions evaluated with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-revised edition (WISC-R), The Visual Aural Digit Span (VADS) and Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BVMG).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The WISC-R showed lower performance IQ with WISC-R in patients with occipital epilepsy than in healthy controls. The VADS test only showed lower scores in children with symptomatic occipital epilepsy. Mean BVMG test scores were significantly abnormal in both subgroups of childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (early-onset CEOP/late-onset CEOP) and the group with SOE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with CEOP, especially the late-onset form, have significant problems in the domains of visuomotor coordination, memory and attention. The academic performance of these patients should be monitored carefully in follow-up and appropriate educational support should be given as necessary.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Celal Bayar University Hospital, Manisa, Turkey. polatmuzaffer@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.forename: Sarenur
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gokben
authors.forename: Ayse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tosun
authors.forename: Gul
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Serdaroglu
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tekgul
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D014888:Wechsler Scales