title: The neuropsychological and academic substrate of new/recent-onset epilepsies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize neuropsychological and academic status in children, ages 8-18 years, with new-/recent-onset idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and idiopathic localization-related epilepsy (ILRE) compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants underwent neuropsychological assessment, and parents were interviewed regarding their child's academic history. Cognitive scores for children with epilepsy were age- and sex-adjusted and compared with controls across both broad-band (IGE n = 41 and ILRE n = 53) and narrow-band (childhood/juvenile absence, juvenile myoclonic, benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes, and focal [temporal/frontal/not otherwise specified]) syndromes. Academic histories were examined, including problems antecedent to epilepsy onset and diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with new/recent-onset epilepsies exhibit considerable cognitive abnormality at baseline, including patterns of shared abnormalities across syndromes (eg, psychomotor slowing) as well as unique syndrome-specific cognitive effects (eg, executive function in IGE and language/verbal memory in ILRE) that are observed and sometimes exacerbated in specific IGE and ILRE syndromes. Academic difficulties are evident in approximately 50% of the children with epilepsy, affecting all syndrome groups to an equal degree.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patterns of shared and syndrome-specific cognitive abnormalities and academic problems are present early in the course of virtually all epilepsy syndromes examined here, including syndromes classically viewed as benign. This is the base upon which the effects of recurrent seizures, treatment, and psychosocial effects will be added over time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705-2281, USA. jackson@neurology.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Daren C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dabbs
authors.forename: Natalie M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Jana E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Carl E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Stafstrom
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seidenberg
authors.forename: Bruce P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Hermann
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests