Examining the Effect of Anti-seizure Medications Monotherapy on Cognitive Functions in Patients with Epilepsy: A 1-month Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Objective: Cognitive impairment in epilepsy is one of the most important problems affecting daily life. This study aimed to investigate the change in cognitive functions of patients with epilepsy a month after starting anti-seizure medications (ASMs). Methods: Patients with epilepsy who started treatment with ASMs were included. The general cognitive status, attention, memory, executive functions, and language skills of epilepsy patients were evaluated with detailed neuropsychological tests before and one month after the initiation of ASMs. Results: The study included 14 patients with epilepsy. The patients showed increased attention, visual memory, and inhibition skills 1 month after using ASMs compared to pre-treatment status. Conclusion: Appropriate and successful treatment of epilepsy patients can improve cognitive performance in the short term. However, long-term longitudinal studies are needed to support these findings.

Keywords

• antiseizure medications
• cognitive impairment
• epilepsy
• monotherapy