Consequences of recurrent seizures during development

While many children with recurrent seizures have a good prognosis, a small percentage of children with intractable epilepsy have a more ominous course with a gradual decline in cognitive abilities over time. While the reasons for this cognitive decline may be multifactorial, there is evidence both from human and animal studies that recurrent seizures can lend to gradual cognitive impairment in some children. Laboratory studies have also demonstrated that, recurrent seizures call lead to deficits in learning and memory; as well as structural changes in the blain. It is important for the clinical to be aware of gradual declines in intelligence that may occur over time.