title: Clinical and neuropsychological assessment of executive function in a sample of children and adolescents with idiopathic epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the executive functions of children and adolescents with idiopathic epilepsy with a control group and to correlate with clinical data, intelligence and academic performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study. Thirty-one cases and thirty-five controls were evaluated by the WCST (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test).The results were compared with clinical data (seizure type and frequency, disease duration and number of antiepileptic drugs used), IQ (WISC-III) and academic performance (APT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with epilepsy had poorer executive function scores. There was no positive linear correlation between test scores and epilepsy variables. There was a positive association between academic performance and some executive function results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with well controlled idiopathic epilepsy may show deficits in executive functions in spite of clinical variables. Those deficits may influence academic performance.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andrea Bandeira de
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psiquiatria, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marleide da Mota
authors.initials: Mda M
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Heber
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maia-Filho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors