The presence of memory difficulties in people with epilepsy is well recognised. In fact people with epilepsy seek help for memory problems more often than for any other impairment. Research has shown that a large portion of memory is located in a specific area of the brain known as the temporal lobe.
The temporal lobe
There are a number of reasons why people with epilepsy may have memory difficulties.
- Epileptic seizures can affect memory functioning because, in order for memory to work properly, the brain needs continuous self-monitoring. This self-monitoring system can be disrupted during a seizure. Memories before a seizure can be lost, as they have not been fully incorporated into our memory system. During a seizure our memory may also be affected, because a loss of consciousness can interfere with normal brain processes, disrupting the encoding and storage of information. The confusion that can occur following a seizure can also prevent our memory from working properly. Some people with epilepsy can experience unusual electrical activity within the brain between seizures and this can also affect attention and memory functioning.
- An underlying brain tumour or lesion can disrupt the memory process. Therefore if a tumour or lesion is located in the temporal lobe, which is a part of the brain needed for memory, this may also cause memory problems.
- Some anti-epileptic medications may interfere with memory functioning as they can affect the speed at which the brain can process information. On the other hand they also reduce seizure frequency and, as we have discussed, frequent seizures can also cause memory impairment. If you are worried your medication may be affecting your memory, it is important to speak to your doctor about your concerns. They can investigate this possibility and will discuss possible solutions with you.
How are people with memory problems affected?
Memory problems can affect people in different ways. It may be that a person’s memory problems are very general, and will therefore affect most areas of memory functioning. However they can also be very specific and might only affect one aspect of memory functioning, such as remembering what people tell you.
Memory problems can cause a range of difficulties, making it difficult to cope with everyday living and relationships. These difficulties can cause a great deal of distress for the person affected. However, while a memory problem cannot be cured, it is possible to adapt to having a memory impairment, making it easier to cope and live a relatively normal life.
Neuropsychological memory assessment
In order to get an accurate assessment of your memory function, the doctor may suggest carrying out a neuropsychological assessment. Neuropsychological simply means looking at the processes that the brain carries out, one of which is memory. This assessment aims to get an accurate idea of how well your memory is currently functioning and will be carried out by a psychologist. It will look at all areas of your memory ability. More specifically it will be looking at your ability to remember pictures, stories and numbers. Through looking at these areas, the psychologist will be able to discover where your memory difficulties lie and if there is any difference between your:
- visual memory (your ability to remember pictures); and
- verbal memory (your ability to remember information presented orally).
This information then provides some focus on which memory enhancement strategies are going to be the most helpful to you.
We can provide references and information on the source material we use to write our epilepsy advice and information pages. Please contact our Epilepsy Helpline by email at helpline@epilepsy.org.uk.
This information is exempt under the terms of The Information Standard.
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Updated February 2011To be reviewed February 2013
Comments: read the 10 comments or add yours
Comments
thankyou
Thanks again, although i would like to know if AED's can cause sight problems
Hi John,
People can have different problems with their sight, so it would depend on what the problem is and which AED has been prescribed.
Some AEDs can have sight problems as a possible side effect. An example of a common side effect of AEDs is double vision. The cause of double vision is usually because of taking too high a daily dose, or perhaps because of an initial side effect from a newly prescribed AED. This can also happen when a recent increase of an AEDs is taken.
It would be advisable to discuss any sight problems with the doctor, or an optician. They can try and find out what the cause is and try to help.
Rosanna
Advice and Information Team
I am 40 and have been on AED's since I was 15, I have noticed my memory is getting worse, recalling words can be embarrassing in one sentence I forgot the word bus, I can have problems speaking words even if I do remember them they come out back to front, it's very frustrating. I can have up to 10 mini seizures a day, they just effect my hand and last for seconds I haven't had a full blown seizure since I was 17, but now I'm getting worried its effecting my job
Hi Louise
Sorry to hear about your memory problems. It must feel really frustrating.
Have you seen the information on this page about getting a memory test? If you haven’t seen a neurologist for some time, you could ask your family doctor to refer you back to them. Then you could check about your seizure control, and ask about the memory test at the same time.
You could check our employment information for general information about work concerns. A test may also help your employers understand your situation a bit more clearly.
If you want to talk to other people with epilepsy having problems with their memory, you may be interested in our online community, forum4e. This is for people with epilepsy and carers of people with epilepsy. People can find it really helpful to talk to other people in a similar situation.
If we can be of any more help with your work situation, or more generally, please feel free to contact us, either by email or the Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050.
Cherry
Advice and information Team
Over the years, I have take a pretty fair number of AEDs and experienced a variey of side effects with memory being among the most frustrating. For example, after being an early adapt of the first spreadsheet and word processing programs, I have found I have lost all memory of how to use them. This occurred after a seizure and to this day, I don't know if the damage was done by the seizure or the AEDs that I was on. I probably never will. I have your same speech speech problems as week. For example, I continue to max up grandson's name with his dad's This has be going on for the last 6 years. I had a psycho social evaluation and did't learn any thing new. My neurologist about these issues and he said simply that any time you mess with the brain you can expect something to result. At this stage, we're just treating the symptom, not the disease. I appreciate his bluntness/straight talk. It has done much to help me adapt. Since I'm a poker player, albeit a poor one, I have now adopted the same policy for dealing with epilepsy that I do in poker, you have to play the hand you're dealt.
My daughter is at uni she's had epilepsy since childhood and been on certain drugs she suffers from cluster siezers but with no warnings and can have up to 10 siezers a day with another drug we are trying to get this under control but she is now suffering from memory loss and being at uni this is making her depressed because she doesn't remember the lectures and has trouble doing course work she's had MRI scans but can not detect what part of the brain is not functioning properly can you please give me any advice
Hi Amanda. Many people with epilepsy complain about memory problems. I’m sorry to hear that this is causing your daughter to struggle with her university work and feel depressed.
If your daughter has not already read the Memory enhancement strategies page of this website, she may find it helpful to do so.
Because your daughter has epilepsy, she is covered by the Equality Act. This is a law which aims to protect her from unfair treatment. It means that the staff at the university have a duty to make any ‘reasonable adjustments’ to overcome any difficulties that her epilepsy is causing her. So, your daughter could also talk to her tutors and ask if there is any thing they can do, to help her. For example, this may include giving her written notes from lectures.
I hope that helps.
Amanda
Advice and Information Team
My girlfriend of 11 years and the mother of our 3 year old daughter has delt with seizures since she was 16. Her memory has degraded to the point that she will forget what she was talking about while she is talking. This is affecting her to the point that she is very depressed and feels she can't do anything anymore. She has had testing done by her nuralogy doctor, and was told that her memory is fine. I know this is not true, I see what goes on with her every day. She has been on phenobarbital since she was 15 or 16, and recently was put on lemictal in addition to the phenobarb. Along with these drugs for her seizures she is also taking seroquel for sleeplessness and depression, and also buspirone. We really need some advice on where to go from here, she needs to know that there is help for her and she can be ok. Thank you.
Hi Eric
Sorry to hear of your girlfriend's situation. It must be very frustrating, as well as upsetting for her.
Memory problems due to epilepsy can happen for a number of reasons. If you haven’t already, you may wish to look at our webpage on Memory difficulties in people with epilepsy. This webpage has information on how seizures and some epilepsy medicines can affect the memory.
Memory problems can be a side-effect of various medicines, including epilepsy medicines. As your girlfriend is on various medicines could she ask for her treatments to be reviewed? We are aware that phenobarbital can cause memory problems. We can’t unfortunately comment on medicines not taken for her epilepsy. You might like to contact Mind UK, for information on her buspirone.
If, after the review, your girlfriend's phenobarbital needs altering, it’s advisable that she talks to her doctor about the risk and benefits. For example, it could improve her memory but could have an effect on her seizure control.
As well as epilepsy, there could be other reasons why your girlfriend is having memory problems. Please use this link for examples of why this can happen.
Ideally, your girlfriend should have had a neuropsychological assessment in order to get an accurate assessment of her memory function. If she hasn’t, she could ask her neurologist to be referred to a psychologist. She may also find it helpful to talk to her family doctor about her situation.
If your girlfriend doesn’t already, she may wish to keep a diary. She could record when she experiences memory problems and what was happening at the time. A diary can be a helpful record of what’s been happening with her memory, for her and her doctor.
If we can be of any more help, please feel free to contact us again. You can contact the helpline team directly, either by email or the Epilepsy Helpline freephone.
Yours sincerely
Diane
Advice and Information Team