Clinical and Neuropsychological Assessment in Epilepsy

A large number of publications have dealt with cognition in epilepsy. Most factors affecting cognition in epilepsy have been discerned many years ago. The body of neuropsychological literature in this field has accumulated much knowledge, in the epilepsy surgery settings, neuropsychology has still not been fully integrated in the routine care of patients with epilepsy. The comorbidities of epilepsy are becoming an increasingly relevant topic. Epilepsy may be defined by the occurrence of epileptic seizures, these seizures represent only one of several possible sources of cognitive impairment. There are complex interactions between epilepsy, cognition and behavior, and that both seizures and problems with cognition or behavior may result from a common underlying pathology requiring treatment. The objective of this review is to summarize clinically relevant diagnostic and we aim to demonstrate that neuropsychology can make a highly valuable contribution to the care of individual patients by contributing to the diagnostic process and by serving as a tool for the monitoring of disease and treatment, thereby improving the quality and safety of patient care and their caregiver.