ArticlePaediatric drugs2016
The Cognitive Profile of Ethosuximide in Children.
Article in Paediatric drugs, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Towards a Better Understanding of Cognitive Deficits in Absence Epilepsy: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Neuropsychology review · 2019Pooled it
- Psychobehavioural and Cognitive Adverse Events of Anti-Seizure Medications for the Treatment of Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies.CNS drugs · 2022Review
- Neurocognitive Effects of Antiseizure Medications in Children and Adolescents with Epilepsy.Paediatric drugs · 2021Review
- Functional brain network characteristics are associated with epilepsy severity in childhood absence epilepsy.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAlthough ethosuximide is one of the oldest antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), little information is available about the cognitive side effects of ethosuximide.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive profile of ethosuximide.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study, we used an extensive neuropsychological test battery in patients with epilepsy aged 6-16 years who were treated with monotherapy ethosuximide. We evaluated the efficacy of the drug by seizure frequency (seizure free or not).
resultsWe included 61 patients with a mean age of 9.4 years [standard deviation (SD) 2.7] who used on average 686 mg/day (SD 245) ESM as monotherapy. ESM was effective in the majority of the patients (70 % were seizure free for at least 6 months at moment of inclusion). The total study population showed impairments of intelligence, visuomotor, and attentional function including activation/alertness. Comparisons between the well-controlled patients and patients who were not in remission showed significantly lower intelligence values and lower performance on the visual-perceptual and attentional tasks for the group with ongoing seizures. Our results suggested that the higher order cognitive dysfunctions (such as intelligence and visual-perceptual functions) may be regarded as seizure or aetiology effects and that the impaired fluid cognitive functions, such as activation/alertness, sustained auditory attention and attentional control or switching, were due to ESM.
conclusionThis study suggests the attentional dysfunction resulting in psychomotor slowing and alertness deficits may be regarded as effects of ethosuximide. Although no untreated baseline assessment was available, these effects are comparable to those of other AEDs, and ethosuximide may therefore be considered an AED with only mild effects on cognition. As ethosuximide is a first-line therapy for absence seizures in childhood, and drug-induced cognitive impairment may interfere with development, learning, and academic achievement, these findings are of interest to clinicians who prescribe this drug, especially when informing parents.
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