Potential role of a cognitive rehabilitation program following left temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

Abstract

To assess the effects of a memory rehabilitation program in patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy following surgery. Twenty-four patients agreed to participate and 18 completed the study; nine received memory rehabilitation while nine had no input and were designated as controls. Verbal learning efficiency, naming abilities, memory subjective ratings, ecological activity measures and a language fMRI paradigm were used as outcome measures. Improved verbal learning and naming test performance, increase in memory strategy use and improved self-perception were observed following the rehabilitation. Changes in fMRI activation patterns were seen in the rehabilitation group over the long term. The findings support the potential role of a cognitive rehabilitation program following left temporal lobe surgery.