Neuropsychological evaluation in patients with idiopathic focal epilepsy
Keywords:
trastornos cognitivos; atención; pruebas cognitivas; pruebas neuropsicológicas; función ejecutivaAbstract
This study carried out in the province of Holguín with patients with idiopathic focal epilepsy. This study characterized the cognitive performance of patients with idiopathic focal epilepsy according to demographic and biological variables and the application of functional tests. An analytical observational study was carried out in the Neuropsychology Service. The sample consisted of 25 patients selected by intentional sampling. Patients diagnosed with idiopathic focal epilepsy were included, and patients with cognitive impairment attributable to other degenerative or acquired neurological conditions were excluded.
Patients between 25 and 40 years of age predominated (68.0%), males (84.0) %, with focal seizures in 72 % of cases and 68 % of these were of high frequency. 76 % of epileptics presented an attention level below the 20th percentile, 68 % of cases a working memory equal to or greater than the 20th percentile, 72 % audioverbal memory at the same percentile and 60 % with visuospatial memory below the 20th percentile. It was determined that 76 % of patients reflected an attention level below the 20th percentile, with 64 % of phonological fluency and 72 % of semantics greater than or equal to the 20th percentile, 78 % of cases with planning / organization less than this percentile. It is concluded that, from the epidemiological and clinical point of view, idiopathic focal epilepsy behaves as in the rest of the world, with a successive deterioration of cognitive functions, which contributes to a more complete understanding of the patient's needs and more personalized care.
Downloads
References
de Bezenac CE, Leek N, Adan G, Ali AMS, Mohanraj R, Biswas S, et al. Prospective neuroimaging and neuropsychological evaluation in adults with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2025 [citado 06/09/2025];66(8):2864-2880. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12371684/
Norman M, Wilson SJ, Baxendale S, Barr W, Block C, Busch RM, et al. Addressing neuropsychological diagnostics in adults with epilepsy: Introducing the International Classification of Cognitive Disorders in Epilepsy: The IC CODE Initiative. Epilepsia Open. 2021 [citado 06/08/2025];6(2):266-275. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8166800/
Vogt VL, Äikiä M, Del Barrio A,Boon P, Borbély C, Bran E. Current standards of neuropsychological assessment in epilepsy surgery centers across Europe. Epilepsia. 2017 [citado 06/08/2025];58(3):343-355. Disponible en: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/epi.13646
Brissart H, Planton M, Bilger M, Bulteau C, Forthoffer N, Guinet V, et al. French neuropsychological procedure consensus in epilepsy surgery. Epilepsy Behav. 2019 [citado 06/08/2025];100(Pt A):106522. Disponible en: https://hal.science/hal-02395371v1/document
Metternich B, Buschmann F, Wagner K, Schulze Bonhage A, Kriston L. Verbal fluency in focal epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychol Rev. 2023 [citado 06/07/2025];24(2):200-218. Disponible en: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11065-014-9255-8
López Cortés VA, Quintanar Rojas L, Perea Bartolomé MV, Ladera Fernández V. Rehabilitación neuropsicológica de un paciente con afasia motora–eferente-aferente. Neuropsicología Latinoamericana. 2013 [citado16/09/2025];5(Esp). Disponible en: https://pepsic.bvsalud.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2075-94792013000100003
Ministerio de Salud Pública. Anuario Estadístico de Salud 2023. [Edición en formato electrónico]. Dirección Nacional de Registros Médicos y Estadísticas de Salud; La Habana-Cuba. Abril 2023. [citado 20/05/2024];3:27-33. Disponible en: https://temas.sld.cu/estadisticassalud/2024/09/30/anuario-estadistico-de-salud-2023/
OMS. Trastornos Neurológicos desafíos para la salud pública. Ginebra: OMS 2006 [citado 06/07/2025]. Disponible en: https://www-who-int.translate.goog/publications/i/item/9789241563369?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=es&_x_tr_hl=es&_x_tr_pto=tc
Arango-Lasprilla JC, Rivera D, García-Guerrero CE, et al. Normas para pruebas neuropsicológicas en adultos hispanohablantes de México y Colombia: Aplicaciones en epilepsia focal. Rev Neurol. 2021;72(5):145.
Ostrosky-Solis, F, Gómez, ME, Malute, E, Roselli, M, Ardila, A, Pineda, D. NEUROPSI. Atención y Memoria de 6 a 85 años. Instructivo. Academia. Disponible en: https://www.academia.edu/34946647/N_E_U_R_O_P_S_I_ATENCI%C3%93N_Y_MEMORIA_6_A_85_A%C3%91OS_INSTRUCTIVO
Asociación Médica Mundial. Declaración de Helsinki de la AMM. Principios éticos para las investigaciones médicas en seres humanos. Finlandia: Asociación Médica Mundial; 2024. Disponible en: https://www.paho.org/es/documentos/declaracion-helsinki-amm-principios-eticos-para-investigaciones-medicas-seres-humanos
Busch RM, Dalton JE, Jehi L, Ferguson L, Krieger NI, Struck AF, et al. Association of neighborhood deprivation with cognitive and mood outcomes in adults with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurology. 2023 [citado 06/08/2025];100(23):e2350-e2359. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10256132/
Celorrio Castellano SY, Labrada Gálvez Y, Rodríguez García LR. Características clínico-epidemiológicas de la epilepsia de debut en adultos del municipio Las Tunas. Rev Cubana Neurol Neurocir. 2017 [citado 06/09/2025];7(1):34-42. Disponible en: https://revneuro.sld.cu/index.php/neu/article/view/253
Reyes A, Hermann BP, Prabhakaran D, Ferguson L, Almane DN, Shih JJ, et al. Validity of the MoCA as a cognitive screening tool in epilepsy: Are there implications for global care and research? Epilepsia Open. 2024 [citado 06/04/2025];9(4):1526-1537. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11296095/
Spotnitz M, Ekanayake CD, Ostropolets A, McKhann GM, Choi H, Ottman R, et al. Use of recommended neurodiagnostic evaluation among patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. JAMA Neurol. 2024 [citado 06/04/2025];81(5):499-506. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10985618/
Klein P, Carrazana E, Glauser T, Herman BP, Penovich P, Rabinowicz AL, et al. Do seizures damage the brain? Cumulative effects of seizures and epilepsy: A 2025 perspective. Epilepsy Curr. 2025 [citado 10/07/2025];26(1):34-42. Disponible en: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12003328/
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Maikel López Aballe, Amarilis Leyva Rojas, Yudys Góngora Villares, Edilio Silva Velasco
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
ACCESS AND DISTRIBUTION POLICY
All published articles are open access contributions, which are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the primary source of publication is properly cited.
