Cognitive effects of antiepileptic drugs

Abstract

Antiepileptic drugs have psychotropic and cognitive effects, either positive or negative, in some patients. The impact of these effects may be very important in epileptic subjects, especially during childhood and in the elderly. The diversity of methodological designs, of population samples, of doses and therapeutic levels makes it difficult to interpret these effects. In this article the effects of antiepileptic drugs, both traditional and novel, are reviewed on the basis of different studies in both animals and human beings.