Attentional Impairment in People With Epilepsy
Conditions: Epilepsy
Sponsor: Central Hospital, Nancy, France

 
 
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Study ID : 2019-A02748-49 
Date April 2, 2020 
 
Study Protocol 
 
 
Study ID : 2019-A02748-49 
 
Title : Attentional Impairment in People With Epilepsy 
 
French abbreviation study : ETAPE 
 
 
Study summary : 
Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological conditions. It leads to cognitive 
impairment in 20-50% of patients with a structural form. 
In comparison with seizures, these cognitive disorders are a major additional factor in 
occupational, social and family disability. They are particularly frequent (50%) in temporal 
epilepsies and preferably concern memory and language skills. 
The cognitive consequences of epilepsy are therefore well described in the following areas: 
episodic memory, language, executive functions. 
Concerning attentional abilities, a recent review has highlighted the lack of work in this specific 
field in order to properly measure the prevalence and nature of attentional disorders in epileptic 
patients. Indeed, attentional abilities are often mentioned in studies, but attention is a complex 
domain defined by four modalities: alertness, selective attention, divided attention and 
sustained attention. No study systematically assesses all of these modalities. 
The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and nature of attentional disorders in 
epileptic patients compared to control subjects. 
 
 
 

 
 
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Study ID : 2019-A02748-49 
Date April 2, 2020 
 
 Primary outcome : To evaluate the prevalence of attentional disorders in epileptic 
patients compared to control subjects. 
 
 Secondary outcome : Assess the nature of attentional disorders in relation to executive 
functions and the level of anxiety-depression. 
 
 
 
 Main endpoint : D2 task (selective attentional task) 
 
 Other measures : attentionnal task (see below); executive task and depression and 
anxiety scale (total duration : around one hour and 10 minutes) 
 
Attentional tasks description : 
 
Selective attention 
 
D2 
 
Test duration: 5 minutes 
 
 
 
 
    
 
Subtests 
Examples 
Alertness 
 
TAP 2.2 – Alertness 
 
Test duration: 5 minutes 
 

 
 
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Study ID : 2019-A02748-49 
Date April 2, 2020 
 
Divided attention 
 
TAP 2.2 – Divided attention 
 
Test duration: 6 minutes  
 
Sustained attention 
 
TAP 2.2 – Sustained attention 
 
Test duration: 15 minutes 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Executives task : 
Digit span 
Verbal fluencies 
Inhibition task : subtest incompatibility in TAP battery 
Flexibility task : subtest flexibility in TAP battery 
 
Scales : 
Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) 
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) 
 

 
 
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Study ID : 2019-A02748-49 
Date April 2, 2020 
 
 
Population : Epileptic patients versus normal control 
 
The inclusion criteria for patients are: 
- Patients with epilepsy, according to the Fisher et al. (2005) criteria. 
- Patient with written informed consent 
- Affiliation to a social security insurance 
- Individuals who have received full information about the organization of the research and 
have not objected to their participation and the use of their data.  
- Person 18 years of age and older 
 
The inclusion criteria for healthy subjects are: 
- Individuals who have received full information about the organization of the research and 
have not objected to their participation and use of their data.  
- Person 18 years of age and older 
- Person with no neurological and/or psychiatric history 
 
 

 
 
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Study ID : 2019-A02748-49 
Date April 2, 2020 
 
Duration of the inclusion period: 5 years  
 
Duration of subject participation (2 visits): There may be a delay of up to 3 months between the 
inclusion visit with neurological screening and the planning of the neuropsychological 
assessment visit after which the subject exits the study.  
 
Total research duration: 5 years and 3 months. 
 
 
 
 

 
 
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Study ID : 2019-A02748-49 
Date April 2, 2020 
 
References 
Fisher, R. S., Boas, W. V. E., Blume, W., Elger, C., Genton, P., Lee, P., & Engel, J. (2005). 
Epileptic seizures and epilepsy: definitions proposed by the International League Against 
Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE). Epilepsia, 46(4), 470-472. 
 
Brissart H, Forthoffer N, Maillard L. Attention disorders in Epilepsy, determinants and 
therapeutic strategies (2019). Revue Neurologique, Mar;175(3):135-140. 
 
Hudson, J. M., Flowers, K. A., & Walster, K. L. (2014). Attentional control in patients with 
temporal lobe epilepsy. Journal of neuropsychology, 8(1), 140-146. 
 
Wisniewski, I., Wendling, A. S., & Steinhoff, B. J. (2011). Impact of side of lesion, seizure 
outcome and interictal epileptiform discharges on attention and memory after surgery in 
temporal lobe epilepsy. Epileptic Disorders, 13(1), 27-35. 
 
Helmstaedter, C., Kemper, B., & Elger, C. E. (1996). Neuropsychological aspects of frontal 
lobe epilepsy. Neuropsychologia, 34(5), 399-406.