Observations of Auditory Processing and Verbal Memory in Children with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Abstract number :
3.107
Submission category :
11. Behavior/Neuropsychology/Language / 11B. Pediatrics
Year :
2024
Submission ID :
635
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/9/2024 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Authors :
Presenting Author: Emily Harford, MA – University of Pittsburgh
Taylor Abel, MD, FAES, FAANS – Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Rationale: The temporal lobe and its mesial structures are implicated in cognitive processes including auditory processing and memory. Disruption of these structures, for example via epileptogenic activity in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), could produce deficits in these areas even prior to surgical intervention, though this possibility remains under-researched. The purpose of this study is to describe performance on auditory processing and verbal memory measures in children with TLE.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with TLE whose auditory processing and verbal memory skills were assessed as part of an evaluation for epilepsy surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh from 2013-2024. Scaled scores and classification of scores were abstracted from the medical record for subtests of the Test of Auditory Processing (TAPS), California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), and Wechsler Memory Scales (WSM). Full scale IQ (WISC) scores were also included.
Results: 17 patients met inclusion criteria and included those with TLE of the left hemisphere (59%), right hemisphere (29%), and bitemporal involvement (12%) across a variety of etiologies. 6 (35%) patients performed within normal limits on all measures of auditory processing and memory while the remaining 11 patients demonstrated impairments on at least 1 task administered. Below average performance was most frequently noted within this cohort in performance on the CLVT word list recall task (8/17), followed by WSM-LM narrative recall (5/17) and TAPS number memory forward (5/17). While all patients with below average IQ (4, 24%) demonstrated impairments on auditory memory and processing measures, 7/13 (54%) patients with average IQ also demonstrated impairments on these measures.
Conclusions: Our findings show that some patients with TLE may exhibit impairments in auditory processing and auditory memory. Deficits in these areas cannot be entirely attributed to overall IQ and were not isolated to involvement of either the left or right hemisphere. Further, below average performance was noted in these patients prior to any surgical intervention. These findings emphasize the importance of further investigation into auditory processing and auditory memory abilities in individuals with TLE.
Funding: This research was supported by the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Behavior