Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) is a well-known idiopathic age- and localization-related epileptic syndrome with characteristic clinical and EEG manifestations. Due to the reported benign evolution of this epilepsy syndrome, neuropsychological assessment has been considered unnecessary. However, the benign nature of BCECTS has recently been challenged: verbal dysfunction as well as impaired visuomotor coordination, specific learning disabilities, and attention deficit have been noticed. These findings prompted this research study in which all children with BCECTS attending our epilepsy clinic underwent neuropsychological assessment. Seventeen children (10 boys and seven girls) aged 7 to 14 years were investigated with a neuropsychological test battery focusing on immediate and delayed recall of auditory-verbal and visual material, verbal fluency, problem-solving ability, and visuospatial constructional ability. Raven's coloured matrices and questionnaires regarding school functioning and behaviour were also administered. The children were matched with control subjects for age, sex, and school. Children with BCECTS had significantly lower scores than their control subject partners on the neuropsychological items. Intellectual abilities did not differ and neither did school functioning or behaviour according to teachers. Parents, however, recognized greater difficulties with concentration, temperament, and impulsiveness in children with BCECTS.

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A neuropsychological assessment was conducted to study cognition, with emphasis on memory, information processing/learning ability, and executive functions in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A group of 20 boys with DMD, aged 7 to 14 years (mean age 9 years 5 months, SD 2 years 2 months), was contrasted with 17 normally developing age-matched comparison individuals, using specific neuropsychological tests (Block Span, Digit Span, Story Recall, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Rey Complex Figure Test, Spatial Learning Test, Verbal Fluency, Trail Making Test, Tower of London, Memory for Faces, and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices). The DMD group performed significantly worse on all aspects of memory, learning, and executive functions. There was no significant difference in general intellectual ability between the two groups. Analyses of group differences indicate that problems in short-term memory are the most apparent, suggesting specific cognitive deficits. The differences between the groups were similar for both verbal-auditory and visuospatial tests, thus contradicting the idea that cognitive deficits are related to type of stimulus presented. It is concluded from this study that short-term memory deficits might play a critical role in the cognitive impairment and intellectual development seen in those with DMD.

Scund J Thor Crirdror,rr\~ Sulk' lo Scand Cardiovasc J Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by University of Otago on 01/03/15 For personal use only.

A neuropsychological assessment was conducted to study cognition, with emphasis on memory, information processing/learning ability, and executive functions in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A group of 20 boys with DMD, aged 7 to 14 years (mean age 9 years 5 months, SD 2 years 2 months), was contrasted with 17 normally developing age‐matched comparison individuals, using specific neuropsychological tests (Block Span, Digit Span, Story Recall, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Rey Complex Figure Test, Spatial Learning Test, Verbal Fluency, Trail Making Test, Tower of London, Memory for Faces, and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices). The DMD group performed significantly worse on all aspects of memory, learning, and executive functions. There was no significant difference in general intellectual ability between the two groups. Analyses of group differences indicate that problems in short‐term memory are the most apparent, suggesting specific cognitive deficits. The differences between the groups were similar for both verbal‐auditory and visuospatial tests, thus contradicting the idea that cognitive deficits are related to type of stimulus presented. It is concluded from this study that short‐term memory deficits might play a critical role in the cognitive impairment and intellectual development seen in those with DMD.