title: Cognitive and psychosocial effects of oxcarbazepine monotherapy in newly diagnosed partial epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the effects of oxcarbazepine (OXC) on cognition and psychosocial difficulties in patients with new-onset partial epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cognitive and psychosocial assessments were performed before and after 6 to 12 months of OXC monotherapy in 52 drug-naive patients (25 women; mean age, 31.1 years; SD, 12.1 years). Cognitive functions were evaluated with well-structured and validated tools. Mood, psychological distress, subjective handicap, and quality of life were also evaluated. Differences between baseline and after-treatment evaluation were compared and adjusted for possible confounders such as age, sex, seizure control, duration of epilepsy, assessment interval, and epileptogenic region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean assessment interval was 231.8 (range, 182-348) days, and mean (SD) OXC dose at retest was 693.8 (208.9) mg. The OXC was found to have no significant adverse effect on cognition. Furthermore, OXC monotherapy was not found to affect psychosocial difficulties, including psychological distress and subjective handicap.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that OXC monotherapy could be used to treat newly diagnosed partial epilepsy without adversely affecting cognitive and psychosocial functions.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; †Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea; ‡Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine and Ewha Medical Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea; and §Department of Neurology, KyungHee University Hospital at Gangdong, KyungHee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Daeyoung
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji-Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Eun Yeon
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Hyang Woon
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Won Chul
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Seung Bong
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D061567:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D061567:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers; D002220:Carbamazepine; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine