The interictal language profile in adult epilepsy

Abstract

SUMMARYObjective: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature on the interictal language profile in adult patients with epilepsy. Methods: An extensive literature search was performed using MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PASCAL, and PSYNDEXplus databases. Key aspects of inclusion criteria were adult patients with epilepsy, patient number >10, and in-depth qualitative investigations of a specific language modality or administration of tests of at least two different language modalities, including comprehension, naming, repetition, reading, writing, and spontaneous speech. Results: Our search strategy yielded 933 articles on epilepsy and language. Of these, 31 met final eligibility criteria. Most included articles focused on temporal lobe epilepsy; only three studies were interested in the language profile of patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies, and one study on frontal lobe epilepsy met inclusion criteria. Study results showed a pronounced heterogeneity of language abilities in patients with epilepsy, varying from intact language profiles to impairment in several language functions. However, at least 17% of patients displayed deficits in more than one language function, with naming, reading comprehension, spontaneous speech, and discourse production being most often affected. Significance: This review underscores the need to evaluate different language functions-including spontaneous speech, discourse abilities, naming, auditory and reading comprehension, reading, writing, and repetition-individually in order to obtain a reliable profile of language functioning in patients with epilepsy. Moreover, our findings show that in contrast to the huge scientific interest of memory functions in epilepsy, the examination of language functions so far played a minor role in epilepsy research, emphasizing the need for future research activities in this field.

Object naming in epilepsy

“…As pointed out by Hamberger [1], word finding problems are a very common patient complaint and object naming ability is essentially routinely tested during neuropsychological evaluations [2], carefully assessed in surgical candidates when searching for impairments of lateralizing significance [3], and evaluated during the Wada test to help determine language lateralization. At surgical epilepsy centers, object naming is also a core component of language assessment during intraoperative or extraoperative mapping and an area of interest following left dominant temporal lobe resection [3].…”

Effects of regiolects on the perception of developmental foreign accent syndrome

“…These are typically described between epileptic seizures (i.e. in inter-ictal states; Bartha-Doering, 2014, Baciu, 2015 …”

Avaliação de linguagem por ressonância magnética funcional em pacientes com epilepsia associada à esclerose mesial temporal unilateral: correlação com avaliação clínica de linguagem

“…Na EMT esquerda (EMTe), a dificuldade de nomeação relaciona-se ao grau de comprometimento do hipocampo: quanto maior o dano em estruturas mesiais temporais, pior o desempenho do paciente (Bartha-Doering;Trinka, 2014 (Bartha et al, 2005b).…”

“…Estas características contribuem para a teoria que sustenta que a origem dos erros de nomeação destes pacientes seria uma dificuldade pós-semântica na recuperação lexical ou acesso à representação fonológica da palavra (Figura 4) (Trebuchon-Da Fonseca et al, 2009;BarthaDoering;Trinka, 2014;Hamberger, 2015). Outros autores argumentam que estes pacientes também apresentam dificuldades de definição de palavras e, por isso, a dificuldade de nomeação também estaria ligada à perda do conhecimento semântico Woodard, 2001).…”

“…Na revisão de Bartha-Doering;Trinka (2014), 75% dos pacientes com ELTe e 19% dos pacientes com ELT à direita (d) apresentaram distúrbios na nomeação responsiva.…”