Changes in memory function in children and young adults with temporal lobe epilepsy: A follow-up study

This longitudinal study explored change in memory function from childhood to young adulthood in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The 24 participants (11 left TLE; 13 right TLE) had a mean age of 16.10. years (SD= 4.13. years), and 14 had undergone surgery since initial assessment. Contrary to baseline, verbal memory deficits were lateralized (left < right on paired associate learning, p= .009, and delay, p= .02). Change over time interacted with laterality on a complex non-verbal memory task (p= .05), with the right but not the left group improving. A three-way time-by-laterality-by-surgery interaction was significant for delayed facial recognition (p= .05), with surgical groups improving irrespective of laterality. Non-surgical groups remained stable, although there was a trend for the right to improve and the left to decline. Results were independent of seizure variables, mood and IQ and suggest that memory in left TLE tends to remain stable over time and improve in right TLE.