Seizures that arise in specific areas in the brain are called Localization Related Epilepsy (LRE) and are the most common seizure disorder in children. Children that receive drug treatment for this disorder may suffer from treatment related side effects which impact their ability to think or concentrate and their ability to interact socially. These negative treatment effects can impact the child's performance in school and long term may impact employment and job options. This study will determine whether changes in attention and social interactions are seen in children treated for LRE using three of the most common medications used to treat pediatric LRE. Children who are newly diagnosed with LRE by their doctors and are between the ages of 5 years 6 months and 16 years 0 months will be randomized to receive levetiracetam, lamotrigine, or oxcarbazepine. There will be 14 study sites throughout the US. Children will undergo evaluation of their thinking and ability to pay attention before and after starting drug treatment for LRE. Regardless of the specific findings, results of this study will provide the information needed to help parents and their clinicians choose treatment options that maximize cognitive abilities in children with LRE, and provide the data needed for practice guidelines to be established on the basis of cognitive side effect risks.
This is a prospective multicenter, randomized, open-label, central assessor, parallel-group study of children ages 5 years, 6 months to 16 years, 0 months with newly diagnosed Localization Related Epilepsy (LRE) to establish whether three common antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used as first line LRE treatment (lamotrigine (LTG), levetiracetam (LEV), or oxcarbazepine (OXC)) are associated with differential cognitive side effects on attention. It is predicted that one AED will be identified with greater negative cognitive effects on attention. The study will also examine whether there are differential risks for drug-related behavior change. The study will address whether 6 month attentional outcomes can be reliably predicted based upon shorter term cognitive change assessed soon after beginning AED therapy, and establish practice effects associated with repeated test exposure when on constant doses of AED. Children will undergo cognitive testing after study enrollment and no more than a week after AED initiation. Selected measures will be repeated at the first follow up clinic visit after beginning AED treatment, and the primary endpoint will be the attention performance obtained at the subjects' 6 month follow-up clinic visit.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
72
Titration to target dose starting at week 3. Dose increments above target may be made to a maximum of 3 increments with a minimum interval between dose escalations of 2 weeks.
Titration to target dose starting at week 3. Dose increments above target may be made to a maximum of 3 increments with a minimum interval between dose escalations of 2 weeks.
Titration to target dose starting at week 11. Dose increments above target may be made to a maximum of 3 increments with a minimum interval between dose escalations of 2 weeks.
Arkansas Children's Hospital
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
University of California at San Diego
San Diego, California, United States
Children's Hospital Colorado
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Children's National Medical Center
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
Children's Healtcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Washington University
St Louis, Missouri, United States
University of Rochester
Monroe, New York, United States
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
...and 4 more locations
Conners' Continuous Performance Test II (CPT-II) Confidence Index
The Conners' Continuous Performance Test II (CPT-II) is a measure of sustained attention. Letters are individually presented on a computer screen, and participants are instructed to press the space bar when they are presented with any letter except the letter "X". For children younger than 6 years of age at enrollment, the Kiddie CPT will be used in which the child is instructed to press the space bar every time the ball appears on the screen. The outcome measure is a confidence index representing the probability that the respondent has a clinically relevant problem in sustained attention. Possible scores range from 0 to 100. Scores between 40 and 60 are considered inconclusive while scores above 60 indicate that the child exhibits inattentiveness.
Time frame: Baseline, Month 6
Child Behavior Checklist
The Child Behavior Checklist is a measure of specific behavioral and emotional problems are rated by the child's parent or guardian. The Child Behavior Checklist examines three domains (Social Functioning, Mood and Anxiety Symptoms, and Externalizing Symptoms) by assessing 118 problem items that describe specific behavioral and emotional problems. Respondents indicate how accurately the statements describe the child by selecting from options on a 3-point Likert-type scale (0=Not True, 1= Somewhat or Sometimes True, or 2=Very True or Often True). Total raw scores are converted to t-scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. A t-score of 67 or greater is considered to be in the clinical range for problematic behavior.
Time frame: Baseline, Month 6
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