Neuropsychological implications of adjunctive levetiracetam in childhood epilepsy.

J Pediatr Neurosci

Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy ; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Published: May 2014

Introduction: Levetiracetam (LEV) is an effective antiepileptic drug also used in childhood and adolescence. Literature data regarding the long-term effects of LEV in childhood epilepsy and based on extensive neuropsychological evaluations using standardized tools are still scanty. Our study aimed to address this topic.

Materials And Methods: We studied 10 patients with epilepsy characterized by focal or generalized seizures (4 boys, 6 girls; mean age: 10 years 8 months; range: 6 years 2 months - 16 years 2 months), treated with adjunctive LEV during a follow-up of 12 months. In 6 patients electroencephalogram (EEG) showed continuous spike and waves during sleep. Using standardized tools, we performed seriated assessments of cognitive and behavioral functioning in relation to seizure and EEG outcome.

Results: Six patients completed the trial after 12 months of treatment; 1 patient dropped out of the study after 9 months, 3 patients after 6 months. Adjunctive LEV was effective on seizures in 3/10 patients and on EEG in 2/10 patients, and was well tolerated in all examined cases. Overall, no worsening of cognitive or behavioral functions has been detected during the period of the study; even at 6 and 12 months from baseline, an improvement in patients' abstract reasoning has been found, that was not related to seizure or EEG outcome.

Conclusions: In our population of children and adolescents, LEV had no adverse cognitive or behavioral effects, short- or long-term. We found an improvement of abstract reasoning, regardless of seizure and EEG outcome.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4166830PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1817-1745.139282DOI Listing

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