Long-Term Effects of Childhood-Onset Epilepsy on Incidental Memory in Aging Individuals

Abstract

While the short-term effects of childhood-onset epilepsy on cognitive functions have been extensively studied, the cognitive trajectory of the affected individuals in late middle age is still relatively unknown. Utilizing data from the TACOE-project, which has mapped the long-term outcome of childhood-onset epilepsy, this study investigated whether childhood-onset epilepsy is connected to abnormal incidental memory deterioration as individuals reach retirement age. The sample consisted of 36 adults with childhood-onset epilepsy (COE) and 39 healthy controls (HC). The participants with COE were categorized as having active epilepsy (PWE-A, n = 8) or remitted epilepsy (PWE-R, n = 28). A baseline assessment, which included tests of incidental and intentional memory, was conducted in 2012, and a follow-up assessment was conducted in 2017. Incidental memory was measured with memo-BNT and intentional memory with the Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised. A mixed-model ANOVA showed a significant interaction between time and group on incidental memory performance. The interaction arose due to the performance of PWE-A worsening over time, while the performance of PWE-R and HC improved over time. There was no significant interaction between time and group on LM. The results indicate that chronic childhood-onset epilepsy can have an adverse effect on incidental memory as individuals reach retirement age. Furthermore, since memo-BNT is sensitive to early signs of Alzheimer´s disease (AD), the results may indicate that PWE-A are exhibiting signs of underlying AD pathology. However, the small sample size may affect the results of the study, which underscores the relevance of future research in this area to corroborate these findings.