Neuropsychological impairment in children with Rolandic epilepsy and in their siblings

Abstract

To assess and characterize a possible neurocognitive endophenotype associated with Rolandic epilepsy (RE), a clinical study was carried out to evaluate the neuropsychological profile of children with RE at onset and of their healthy siblings.Seventeen subjects were recruited (10 boys and 7 girls): nine patients affected by RE and eight siblings who underwent clinical and neuropsychological evaluations. All patients and only two siblings showed centrotemporal spikes on the electroencephalographic recording. Eighteen age- and sex-matched healthy children were assessed as controls.A significant impairment was found in language domain, attentional functioning, and short- and long-term verbal memory in both patients and siblings. A positive correlation between verbal comprehension and working memory scores was found in both groups.A similar neuropsychological profile of RE, which affected patients and their siblings with impairment in the same developing areas, supports the hypothesis of a specific neurocognitive phenotype in RE.