ArticleBrain and behavior2026
Attention and Executive Functions Are the Most Vulnerable Cognitive Domains in Patients With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy Prior to Neurostimulation Therapy.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCognitive impairments are prevalent among patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) referred for neurostimulation therapies. However, the performance characteristics across various cognitive domains in this patient group are not well established.
objectiveTo analyze the characteristics and severity of cognitive impairment in patients with DRE referred for neurostimulation therapy, specifically vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) or deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT-DBS).
methodsThe study included 53 consecutive patients with DRE who were considered for either VNS or ANT-DBS therapy. As part of the preimplantation clinical protocol, all patients underwent neuropsychological evaluation. Cognitive tests were categorized into four domains: (1) attention and executive functions (AEFs), (2) memory and learning, (3) language functions, and (4) visual functions. Test performance was compared against established normative data.
resultsMore than one-third of the patients exhibited cognitive impairment across all four assessed domains. Deficits in AEFs were the most prevalent and severe, affecting 66% of the cohort. These impairments were especially pronounced in patients treated with topiramate or zonisamide, as well as in those referred for ANT-DBS.
conclusionsThe presurgical neuropsychological evaluation of patients with DRE considered for neurostimulation therapy should place particular emphasis on AEFs. This focus provides a critical baseline for follow-up and enables targeted monitoring of cognitive outcomes during neurostimulation treatment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.