Risks and benefits of epilepsy surgery in a pediatric population: Consequences for memory and academic skills.

We examined benefits and risks for memory and academic functioning associated with epilepsy surgery in a pediatric population. A total of 46 patients with intractable seizures and a single seizure focus were divided into four groups according to focus localization: right temporal, left temporal, frontal, and parietal/occipital region. Pre- and postsurgery performance measures were compared across groups and with a fifth group of patients that had intractable seizures but did not undergo surgery.

Social functioning in pediatric epilepsy reported by parents and teachers: Contributions of medically related variables, verbal skills, and parental anxiety.

Children with epilepsy are at increased risk for deficits in social functioning, though the underlying causes are not well-understood. We examined multiple seizure-related, demographic, and cognitive variables in a group of 93 pediatric patients with intractable seizures who were at risk for social skills deficits and social problems at home and in the classroom. Verbal intelligence and parental anxiety about epilepsy were found to be the two primary predictors of social functioning in children with epilepsy as reported by parents and teachers.

Adaptive functioning in pediatric epilepsy: contributions of seizure-related variables and parental anxiety.

Young people with epilepsy are less likely to achieve the level of independence attained by their peers. We examined the seizure-related variables that placed a group of 97 pediatric patients with intractable seizures at risk for poor adaptive functioning. Analyses evaluated both the direct effects of the medical variables and indirect effects that were mediated through increased parental anxiety about their child's epilepsy.

Processing speed, attention, and working memory after treatment for medulloblastoma: an international, prospective, and longitudinal study.

Purpose: The current study prospectively examined processing speed (PS), broad attention (BA), and working memory (WM) ability of patients diagnosed with medulloblastoma over a 5-year period.

Patients And Methods: The study included 126 patients, ages 3 to 21 years at diagnosis, enrolled onto a collaborative protocol for medulloblastoma. Patients were treated with postsurgical risk-adapted craniospinal irradiation (n = 36 high risk [HR]; n = 90 average risk) followed by four cycles of high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell support.

Behavioral and academic problems in children with Sturge-Weber syndrome: differences between children with and without seizures.

Although Sturge-Weber (SWS) syndrome is associated with behavioral and academic problems in childhood, it is unknown whether those problems are concomitants of the disorder itself or of the seizure disorder that is common in SWS. We compared two groups of children with SWS-- one with seizures (n=20) and one without seizures (n=14)--on parent-report and teacher-report measures of behavioral and academic functioning. The two subgroups were compared with each other as well as with children with epilepsy alone (n=29) and a group of healthy controls (n=21).

Everyday verbal memory and pediatric epilepsy.

This study addressed the reliability and validity of reports of everyday verbal memory with a sample of 132 pediatric patients with epilepsy. Each patient and one parent completed a questionnaire on everyday verbal memory comprising two scales assessing learning/retrieval and prospective memory. Each patient was also administered tests of memory, attention, and academic skills.

How parents cope with their child's diagnosis and treatment of an embryonal tumor: results of a prospective and longitudinal study.

The current study reports longitudinal coping responses among parents of children diagnosed with an embryonal brain tumor. Patients (n = 219) were enrolled on a treatment protocol for a pediatric embryonal brain tumor. Their parents (n = 251) completed the Coping Response Inventory at time of their child's diagnosis and yearly thereafter, resulting in 502 observations.

Arithmetic performance in children with Tourette syndrome: relative contribution of cognitive and attentional factors.

The study addressed the issue of arithmetic deficiencies in children with Tourette syndrome (TS) as well as explanations for such deficiencies. A total of 47 children with TS were assigned to three subgroups based on a composite attention score from the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). These children, along with 17 normal controls between 8 and 16 years of age, were tested on standardized measures of IQ, attention, visuospatial ability, and arithmetic achievement.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 presenting with cognitive regression in childhood.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 typically presents in adulthood with progressive ataxia, dysarthria, tremor, and slow saccadic eye movements. Childhood-onset spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 is rare, and only the infantile-onset form has been well characterized clinically. This article describes a girl who met all developmental milestones until age 3(1/2) years, when she experienced cognitive regression that preceded motor regression by 6 months.

Adaptive functioning in children with seizures: impact of maternal anxiety about epilepsy.

This study evaluated the impact of maternal anxiety about a child's epilepsy on parental overprotection and the child's adaptive functioning. Specific maternal and family characteristics that contribute to elevated maternal anxiety about epilepsy were also studied over a year's time in a group of 56 mothers with children recently diagnosed with epilepsy. Overall, the primary predictor of maternal anxiety about epilepsy was the mother's level of coping resources, although family stress aggravated anxiety at the initial time point.

Executive functions in children with frontal and temporal lobe epilepsy.

Even though frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) is a relatively common seizure type, no formal psychometric studies of children with FLE have been reported. We compared 12 children with FLE and 15 children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) on neuropsychological tests of attention, memory, executive functioning, and adaptive functioning. The results of these tests indicated that the children with FLE had deficits in planning and executive functions, whereas their verbal and nonverbal memory was intact.