Effects of Age of Onset of Tonic‐Clonic Seizures on Neuropsychological Performance in Children

Abstract
Children (48, aged 9-15 yr) with tonic-clonic seizures were administered a neuropsychological test battery. The children with seizures of early onset (before age 5) were significantly impaired relative to the children with later onset on 8 of the 14 measures in the battery. The deficits were seen on tasks whose requirements included the repetition of a simple motor act, attention and concentration, memory and complex problem solving. The findings emphasize the need for further research to determine the causal factors of the greater dysfunction seen in the early onset group.