title: The impact of an exercise therapy on psychosocial health of children with benign epilepsy: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of the current study were to test the feasibility of exercise therapy for children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) and to collect pilot data about the impact of exercise therapy on neurocognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten children with BECTS (9.7±1.42 years) participated in a therapeutic exercise program consisting of ten supervised exercise sessions and home-based exercises for five weeks. Electroencephalography (EEG), seizure frequency, and neurocognitive and psychological factors, including attention, executive function, depression, anxiety, behavioral problems, and quality of life, were assessed before and after the exercise program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No clinical symptoms were observed to worsen during the study, demonstrating that the exercise therapy was safe and also feasible. After five weeks of exercise therapy, significant improvements in neurocognitive domains such as simple visual and auditory attention, sustained attention, divided attention, psychomotor speed, and inhibition-disinhibition were observed. Furthermore, parent ratings of internalizing behavioral problems and social problems and mood-related well-being from quality of life improved after exercise therapy. Although not statistically significant, trends were noted toward improvement in children's self-reports of negative mood/somatization, parent reports of somatic complaints, and general health on a quality-of-life measure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A five-week structured exercise program was successfully implemented, with preliminary data suggesting beneficial impact on neurocognitive and psychobehavioral function. Exercise therapy should be further evaluated as a part of a comprehensive treatment program for children with benign epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Epilepsy Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soyong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Leisure Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Leisure Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport and Leisure Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Justin Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Epilepsy Research Institute Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hoon-Chul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Epilepsy Research Institute Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, Epilepsy Research Institute Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: hdkimmd@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Heung Dong
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D003071:Cognition; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions; D019305:Epilepsy, Rolandic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D056344:Executive Function; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010290:Parents; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Exercise; Neurocognition; Pediatric epilepsy; Psychological function; Quality of life