Oxcarbazepine monotherapy in children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes improves quality of life.

Background: Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is the most common type of childhood idiopathic focal epilepsy. BECTS is associated with pervasive cognitive deficits and behavior problems. While seizures can be easily controlled, it is crucial to select anti-epileptic drugs that do not impair cognition, do not cause psychosocial effects, and improve the quality of life.

[Cognitive function of 172 cases of 6 - 13 years old children with epilepsy in regular school].

Objective: To study the cognitive function, its correlation with and the impact on quality of life in epileptic children aged 6-13 years in regular school.

Method: Cognitive function of 172 children with various types of epilepsy were measured using a computerized neuropsychological test battery including six items. Their scores across the neuropsychological measures were compared with 172 healthy control subjects from the general population strictly matched for age, sex and the region where education was accepted.

Cortical areas involved in numerical processing: an intraoperative electrostimulation study.

Background: Numerical processing is important in our everyday lives. However, very few attempts have been made to map the numerical processing function areas during lesion surgery.

Objective: To identify and protect the cortical areas involved in numerical processing, the authors used the intraoperative brain mapping approach to study numerical processing areas in patients with parietal lobe tumors.