Cognitive Impairment in Epilepsy; Determination, Causes and Risk Factors

Cognitive dysfunction is detectable in different domains and severity among considerable portion of epileptic patients and even in uncomplicated cases. Several etiology for cognitive decline in epileptic patients has been reported that major categories consist of brain underlying pathology, seizure attacks, epileptic dysfunction, psychiatric problems and therapeutic modalities, in which seizure characteristics and treatments are more dynamic variables. However epidemiological and clinical evidences reveal that cognitive impairment are prevalent already at the onset of epilepsy and even before. Consequently progress during the years that disorder persist or progress. Attention, executive function, memory, learning, academic performance, language and behavioral are more involved. Types and severity of dysfunction are linked to underlying pathology and also type, severity and chronicity of seizure, prior brain functional reserve, age, level of education.