Depressive Symptoms Contribute to Executive Deficits in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2017 Spring;29(2):135-141. doi: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.16040064. Epub 2016 Oct 6.

Abstract

This study examined the contribution of depression to reduced executive functioning in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) using three groups: TLE only (TLE; N=29), TLE+depression (TLE+DEP) (N=22), and nonneurologic participants with depression (DEP; N=31). Participants completed the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System. Individuals with TLE performed worse than the DEP group on many tests of executive functions. Among the TLE participants, those with depression demonstrated poorer executive functioning. These findings support the notion that depression may further contribute to executive difficulties in individuals with TLE. Depression treatment in this population could lead to improvements in cognition.

Keywords: Depression; Neuropsychology; Seizures.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / diagnosis
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / etiology*
  • Depression / complications*
  • Depression / etiology*
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / complications*
  • Executive Function / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Regression Analysis
  • Verbal Behavior
  • Young Adult