小児科と治療学
オープンアクセス

概要

Event-Related Potentials for Cognitive Assessment of Patients with Epilepsy

Yoshimi Kaga *,Hideaki Kanemura ,Sayaka Ishii ,Shigeaki Kaga ,Masao Aihara

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are very useful for evaluating cognitive function in patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders. The method is noninvasive, economical, and offers a certain level of temporal resolution. This review focuses on cognitive functions in epilepsy patients using various ERPs, such as P300, mismatch negativity, NoGo potentials, cognitive negative variation and working memory paradigms. Patients with epilepsy show impaired cognitive functions in the form of selective attention, pre-attentive cognitive function, working memory and frontal inhibitory functions. These impairments come from either the epileptogenic focus or the effects of therapy. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) influence cognitive functions. These influences may be dose-dependent and can improve after discontinuation. By assessing various ERPs, the clinician can evaluate cognitive functions, differential diagnoses and the effects of AEDs in patients with epilepsy. Furthermore, these evaluations can lead to improved quality of life for patients.