Neuropsychological impairments in 35 children with rolandic epilepsy, and the relationship to electroencephalographic findings, were studied at Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. Patients showed significant impairments of visuomotor and reading ability and attention to verbal stimuli compared to controls. Reading disability persisted on follow-up, despite resolution of EEG seizure discharges and remission of seizures. Cognitive disorders were not related to antiepileptic drugs, and occurred in untreated subjects. Patients should be followed to identify learning problems. [1]

COMMENT. Contrary to the so-called benign nature of BECTS, the disorder is sometimes associated with learning disabilities, especially reading problems, while a normal IQ is preserved.

Impairment in attention in rolandic epilepsy evaluated in 14 studies published between 1990 and 2006, in a study at Columbia University, NY, found at follow-up when the EEG had normalized, that attention problems had almost completely resolved [2]. Rolandic spikes may aggravate the course of ADHD and predispose to increased impulsivity [3].