Abstract
The relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and frontal
lobe epilepsy (FLE) in children is not well understood. Patients with FLE between
6 and 15 years of age were studied. Scores on the ADHD rating scale (ADHD-RS) and
Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) were obtained at baseline. Behavioral changes were
evaluated using the ADHD-RS scores at 6, 12, and 24 months after seizure onset. Perseverative
errors of Nelson (PEN) scales on WCST were also evaluated at same time periods. The
relationships between clinical manifestations and neuropsychological disturbances
were analyzed. In 34 patients, the ADHD-RS score at 24 months after onset was most
strongly associated with the presence of status epilepticus (SE, p = 0.004, β = 0.490) followed by seizure frequency (p = 0.021, β = 0.382). The increase in ADHD-RS score was most strongly associated with
seizure frequency (p < 0.001, β = 0.635). The PEN score on WCST at 24 months was most strongly associated
with seizure frequency (p = 0.001, β = 0.724). The increase in PEN score on WCST was most strongly associated
with seizure frequency (p = 0.001, β = 0.872). The only clinical factor associated with both the ADHD-RS and
the PEN scores on the WCST was seizure frequency. Seizure frequency may be correlated
with risk for ADHD in children with FLE.
Keywords
frontal lobe epilepsy - attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder rating scale (ADHD-RS)
- perseverative errors of Nelson (PEN) - seizure frequency
