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November 01, 2016; 87 (18) Article

Cognition in school-age children exposed to levetiracetam, topiramate, or sodium valproate

Rebecca L. Bromley, Rebecca Calderbank, Christopher P. Cheyne, Claire Rooney, Penny Trayner, Jill Clayton-Smith, Marta García-Fiñana, Beth Irwin, James Irvine Morrow, Rebekah Shallcross, Gus A. Baker
First published August 31, 2016, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000003157
Rebecca L. Bromley
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Rebecca Calderbank
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Christopher P. Cheyne
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Claire Rooney
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Penny Trayner
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Jill Clayton-Smith
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Marta García-Fiñana
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Beth Irwin
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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James Irvine Morrow
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Rebekah Shallcross
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Gus A. Baker
From the Institute of Human Development (R.L.B. J.C.-S.), Department of Clinical Psychology (P.T.), and Centre for Women's Mental Health (R.S.), University of Manchester; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (R.L.B.), Manchester; Department of Clinical Psychology (R.C.), University of Lancaster; Departments of Biostatistics (C.P.C., M.G.-F.) and Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology (G.A.B.), University of Liverpool; Neuropsychology Trauma Pathway (C.R.), Merseycare NHS Trust, Liverpool; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine (J.C.-S.), St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; and Department of Neurology (B.I., J.I.M.), Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
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Citation
Cognition in school-age children exposed to levetiracetam, topiramate, or sodium valproate
Rebecca L. Bromley, Rebecca Calderbank, Christopher P. Cheyne, Claire Rooney, Penny Trayner, Jill Clayton-Smith, Marta García-Fiñana, Beth Irwin, James Irvine Morrow, Rebekah Shallcross, Gus A. Baker
Neurology Nov 2016, 87 (18) 1943-1953; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000003157

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Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to monotherapy levetiracetam, topiramate, and valproate on child cognitive functioning.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. Children exposed to monotherapy levetiracetam (n = 42), topiramate (n = 27), or valproate (n = 47) and a group of children born to women who had untreated epilepsy (n = 55) were enrolled retrospectively from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register. Assessor-blinded neuropsychological assessments were conducted between 5 and 9 years of age. Information was collected on demographic and health variables and adjusted for in multiple regression analyses.

Results: In the adjusted analyses, prenatal exposure to levetiracetam and topiramate were not found to be associated with reductions in child cognitive abilities, and adverse outcomes were not associated with increasing dose. Increasing dose of valproate, however, was associated with poorer full-scale IQ (−10.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] −16.3 to −5.0, p < 0.001), verbal abilities (−11.2, 95% CI −16.8 to −5.5, p < 0.001), nonverbal abilities (−11.1, 95% CI −17.3 to −4.9, p < 0.001), and expressive language ability (−2.3, 95% CI −3.4 to −1.6, p < 0.001). Comparisons across medications revealed poorer performance for children exposed to higher doses of valproate in comparison to children exposed to higher doses of levetiracetam or topiramate.

Conclusions: Preconception counseling should include discussion of neurodevelopmental outcomes for specific treatments and their doses and women should be made aware of the limited nature of the evidence base for newer antiepileptic drugs.

GLOSSARY

AED=
antiepileptic drug;
CI=
confidence interval;
FSIQ=
full-scale IQ;
UK-EPR=
United Kingdom Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register

Footnotes

  • UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register coinvestigators are listed at Neurology.org.

  • Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.

  • Supplemental data at Neurology.org

  • Received July 29, 2015.
  • Accepted in final form November 17, 2015.
  • © 2016 American Academy of Neurology
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