Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T11:07:59.028Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Memory deficits and depression in patients with chronic epilepsy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

Johannes Rösche ,
Günther Kundt ,
Raimund Weber ,
Walter Fröscher  and
Carmen Uhlmann
Johannes Rösche*
Affiliation:
Epilepsiezentrum Bodensee, 88214 Ravensburg-Weissenau, Germany Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurologie, Universität Rostock, 18147 Rostock, Germany
Günther Kundt
Affiliation:
Institut für Biostatistik und Informatik in Medizin und Alternsforschung, Universität Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
Raimund Weber
Affiliation:
Epilepsiezentrum Bodensee, 88214 Ravensburg-Weissenau, Germany BDH-Klinik Vallendar GmbH, 56179 Vallendar, Germany
Walter Fröscher
Affiliation:
Epilepsiezentrum Bodensee, 88214 Ravensburg-Weissenau, Germany
Carmen Uhlmann
Affiliation:
Epilepsiezentrum Bodensee, 88214 Ravensburg-Weissenau, Germany
*
Dr Johannes Rösche, Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurologie, Universität Rostock, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany. Tel: +49 381 494 4768; Fax: +49 381 494 4794; E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Objective: In this retrospective study, we tested the hypothesis that patients with epilepsy (PWE) with moderate to major depression have more severe memory deficits than PWE with mild depression or no depression.

Methods: Hundred and thirty-nine patients with chronic epilepsy were studied with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and a neuropsychological-screening battery the day after admission on a specialised ward for PWE. For this study the data from the Memo-test for verbal memory and from the Benton-test for non-verbal memory were taken into account. For testing of the hypothesis of independence of memory deficits and grade of depression we performed a statistical analysis.

Results: Eighty-three patients (59.7%) had a pathological score in the SDS, but only 36 (25.9%) scored in the range of a moderate to major depression. When all 83 patients with a pathological score in the SDS were taken into account, these patients did not differ on any cognitive measure from those without pathological score in SDS. The only significant association in our study was found between pathological results in immediate verbal recall and a score in the SDS for moderate to major depression (p = 0.038).

Conclusion: Minor depressive symptoms may be a response to chronic illness without any impact on cognitive functioning. Nevertheless, a verbal memory deficit associated with major depression was observed in our study even in the presence of many confounding factors. This may be a hint for an association of severe depressive symptoms with left temporal dysfunction in PWE.

Keywords

chronic epilepsydepressionmemory deficits
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , August 2012 , pp. 230 - 235
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Beblo, M, Herrmann, T.Neuropsychologische Defizite bei depressiven Störungen. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr 2000;68:1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Marazitti, D, Consoli, G, Picchetti, M, Carlini, M, Faravelli, L.Cognitive impairment in major depression. Eur J Pharmacol 2010;626:83–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Quiske, A, Helmstaedter, CHR, Lux, S, Elger, CE.Depression in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy is related to mesial temporal sclerosis. Epilepsy Res 2000;39:121–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Rösche, J, Uhlmannn, C, Nüssle, S, Fröscher, W.Depressive Verstimmung bei Patienten mit therapieresistenter Epilepsie. Nervenheilkunde 2001;20:456–460.Google Scholar
5.Seidenberg, M, Hermann, B, Noe, A, Wyler, AR.Depression in temporal lobe epilepsy: interaction between laterality of lesion and Wisconsin Card Sorting performance Neuropsychiatry Neuropsychol Behav Neurol 1995;8:81–87.Google Scholar
6.Paradiso, S, Hermann, BP, Blumer, D, Davies, K, Robinson, RG.Impact of depressed mood on neuropsychological status in temporal lobe epilepsy. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2001;70:180–185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Sonntag-Dillender, M, Elger, CE, Helmstaedter, C.Einfluss von Depression auf Gedächtnis in Abhängigkeit der Lateralisation und der Lokalisation der Läsion bei Patienten mit Temporallappenepilepsie. Z Epileptol 2002;15: 61.Google Scholar
8.Beck, AT, Steer, RA.Beck depression inventory – manual. San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation, 1987.Google Scholar
9.Quiske, A, Wagner, K, Fring, SL, Schulze-Bonhage, A.Einfluss einer depressiven Stimmungslage auf die kognitive Leistungsfähigkeit bei Patienten mit pharmakoresistenter Temporallappenepilepsie. Z Epileptol 2002;15:60–61.Google Scholar
10.Tracy, JI, Lippincott, C, Mahmood, T et al. Are depression and cognitive performance related in temporal lobe epilepsy? Epilepsia 2007;48:2327–2355.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Zung, WWK.A self-rating depression scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1965;13:508–515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Rösche, J, Uhlmann, C, Nüssle, S, Fröscher, W.Neuropsychologisches Screening und Verhalten im Stationsalltag bei Epilepsiepatienten. Akt Neurol 2001;28:455–459.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Schaaf, S, Kessler, J, Grond, M, Fink, GR.Memo-test. Weinheim: Beltz, 1992.Google Scholar
14.Benton Sivan, AL, Spreen, O. The revised visual retention test. In: German ed. Der Benton-test. Bern: Huber, 1995.Google Scholar
15.Buschke, H, Fuld, PA.Evaluation, storage, retention and retrieval in disordered memory and learning. Neurology 1974;24:1019–1025.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Steck, P, Beer, U, Frey, A, Frühschütz, H-G, Körner, A.Testkritische Überprüfung einer 30-Item-Version des Visual Retention Tests nach A.L.Benton. Diagnostica 1990;36: 38–49.Google Scholar
17.Herman, BP, Trenerry, MR, Colligan, RC.Learned helplessness, attributional style, and depression in epilepsy. Epilepsia 1996;37:680–686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Rösche, J, Uhlmann, C, Weber, R.Wandel der Krankheitsverarbeitung bei Patienten mit therapierefraktärer Epilepsie im Rahmen einer multimodalen Komplextherapie. Psychother Psych Med 2004;54:4–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Rösche, J, Meyer, A, Weber, R, Uhlmann, C, Fröscher, W.Zum Risiko der Anfallsprovokation durch SSRI bei Patienten mit therapierefraktärer Epilepsie. Psychopharmakotherapie 2004;11:80–84.Google Scholar
20.Honigfeld, G. NOSIE-30: History and current status of its use in pharmacopsychiatric research. In: Pichot, P, ed. Modern problems of Pharmacopsychiatry. Basel: Psychological Measurements in Psychopharmacology, 1974; 238–263.Google Scholar
21.Mitchell, AJ, Kemp, S, Benito-León, J, Reuber, M.The influence of cognitive impairment on health-related quality of life in neurological disease. Acta Neuropsychiatrica 2010;22:2–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar