Cognitive rehabilitation in people with epilepsy surgery: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: It has been estimated that 30% of people with epilepsy (PWE) do not respond to anti-crisis drugs. In these cases, surgery has been proposed as an effective treatment alternative. However, post-surgical impairments in cognitive functioning are common. Method: The aim of this article was to review and analyze the scientific literature on the effect of cognitive rehabilitation in people with epilepsy surgery. After an advanced search in Google Scholar and MEDLINE, only six studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: The sample reached 600 participants, with an average age of 38.9 years. Temporal lobe surgery was the most common procedure. Rehabilitation focused mainly on memory problems, with only a few studies addressing other cognitive impairments (attention, nomination) and work re-entry. Conclusions: Results from the reviewed studies are promising, suggesting that cognitive rehabilitation can improve cognitive performance after epilepsy surgery, particularly in relation to memory problems and work re-entry. Nevertheless, despite the clinical relevance of this problem, the existing literature exhibits limitations that will need to be addressed by future studies, such as the heterogeneity of cognitive rehabilitation programs used and the scarce assessment of the ecological impact of these interventions.