Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and associated neurocognitive and executive dysfunctions

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a benign disorder with a good response to antiepileptic drugs. Neurop-sychological evaluations revealed mild cognitive deficits. The objective of this study is to determine the cognitive profile and mood symptoms in JME compared to normal controls. 30 patients with JME and 29 controls matched for age, gender. and education level were prospectively evaluated. The clinical characteristics were analysed. They were given a complete cognitive battery, a self-administered questionnaire of executive difficulties (DEX), the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and suicide risk scale (MINI). No significant differences in age and education were observed between JME and controls. Average time of evolution of the disease 18 years, 53% have three types of seizures: myoclonic, absence seizures and tonic-clonic seizures. Significant differences were found with greater failures in attention, executive function, a significantly higher score values in DEX in JME subjects. A higher score was found in the NDDI-E; BDI and GAD-7. No differences were found in the risk of suicide with respect to controls. The study confirms that JME presents greater failures in attentional functioning and executive skills related to flexibility and inhibition, with patients being aware of their difficulties in most cases. Knowing these difficulties would allow a better therapeutic approach to improve symptoms usually dismissed.