Does epilepsy lower your IQ?

Does epilepsy lower your IQ?

Our study indicates that as a group, children with symptomatic epilepsy have lower IQs when tested within two weeks of their first seizure. The lower mean IQ scores of symptomatic epileptic populations are probably caused by preexist- ing deficits rather than by either clinical seizures or drug therapy.

How does epilepsy affect intellectually?

Epilepsy and Cognitive Disorders The most frequent cognitive complaints in adults are feeling slowed down mentally, memory impairment, and attention problems. Memory problems are an important feature of seizures arising from one part of the brain called the temporal lobe. Short-term memory problems are seen most often.

Does seizure medication lower IQ?

IQ scores were lower in the valproate children than in those whose mothers took other epilepsy drugs and in unexposed children. Valproate-exposed children had IQ levels that averaged seven points lower than normal, and they were three times as likely as unexposed children to have low verbal IQ scores.

Do seizures cause intellectual disability?

Most people with epilepsy do not have intellectual disabilities, but a substantial minority of people with intellectual disabilities have epilepsy. Epilepsy is known to be a potentially disabling, chronic and socially isolating condition. A diagnosis of Epilepsy even now still carries a stigma.

Do seizures destroy brain cells?

Severe and repetitive seizures such as status epilepticus do kill brain cells (neurons). Isolated, brief seizures may also result in the death of specific brain cells in certain forms of epilepsy.

Can people with epilepsy see the future?

PAUL, Minn – Some patients with epilepsy can reliably predict when they are likely to have a seizure, a finding that may lead to better seizure prevention, according to a study published in the January 23, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Is epilepsy considered a learning disability?

Generally, having a learning disability does not cause epilepsy, and having epilepsy does not cause a learning disability. Some people may have epilepsy and learning disabilities, and both may be caused by the same underlying problem in the way their brain works.

Does Keppra affect IQ?

Now, researchers have found that the newer AEDs Keppra (levetiracetam) and Topamax (topiramate) may not have a negative impact on the baby’s IQ and thinking skills when taken during pregnancy.

Do epilepsy drugs cause memory loss?

Memory problems can sometimes happen due to the side effects of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Drowsiness or concentration problems can affect your short-term memory, and may make it more difficult to learn and store new information.

Is epilepsy a form of retardation?

Epidemiological studies indicate that there is a high rate of mental retardation and behavioural problems in children with epilepsy. In some cases both the epilepsy and the mental retardation will have a common cause, such as a metabolic disorder or brain trauma.

Does epilepsy cause dyslexia?

The possible explanations for an association between dyslexia and epilepsy are (1) the cortical lesions seen in dyslexic brains may be epileptogenic and/or the structural abnormalities associated with epilepsy may also include neural networks involved in reading, (2) subclinical electrical discharges of the cortex may …

Does epilepsy cause memory loss?

Any type of epileptic seizure could potentially affect your memory, either during or after a seizure. If you have lots of seizures, memory problems might happen more often. Some people have generalised seizures that affect all of the brain.

Does epilepsy cause low IQ?

Generally no. In fact, quite the opposite, but not for reasons that you’d expect. There are comorbid associations between lower IQ’s and seizure disorders that may associate low IQ with epilepsy; Likewise, there are also some types of epilepsy that do not appear to affect cognition.

Is there a correlation between epilepsy and intelligence?

To my knowledge, there is no correlation between epilepsy and intelligence. However, epilepsy or seizure disorders can occur comorbidly with conditions which require a low IQ in order to be diagnosed. For instance, I have worked with a number of children who suffer from Intellectual Disabilities who also suffer from epileptic seizures.

Can seizures affect your ability to learn?

Seizures can come so often that they rob the victim of the ability to focus on a task or lesson. It might be that the person can only make it through one lesson a day, and not retain much. Here, we don’t see a correlation between epilepsy and intelligence, but we see epilepsy affecting a person’s ability to learn.

Does epilepsy affect academic performance?

Based on my knowledge of other, more severe cases of epilepsy, it can indirectly affect academic performance. Seizures can come so often that they rob the victim of the ability to focus on a task or lesson. It might be that the person can only make it through one lesson a day, and not retain much.