Visual and auditory cognitive processing affected by epilepsy.

Neuropsychological studies on epileptic patients may be expected to reveal specific cognitive dysfunction even in patients with normal general intellectual ability. Difficulties in cognitive processing by visual-spatial and auditory-verbal modes are indicated by this investigation employing the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Token Test, with epileptics of normal intelligence. Impairment in capacity for sustained, focused attention significantly affects performance of epileptic patients on these clinical measures, and others as well which require vigilance and attention and sensory-perceptual discrimination.