Epilepsy and Seizures: The Impact on Cognition and Memory

This week on Seizing Life® we speak with Dr. Alice Lam about the potential impacts of seizures on cognition, and memory. We discuss the possible short-term and long-term effects of epilepsy on cognition and memory, and the differing ways that seizures may impact children, adults, and aging adults. Dr. Lam also highlights the complexities of the impacts created by medications, seizures, and the normal aging process. Dr. Lam shares how doctors and patients may assess cognition and memory over time and offers some recommendations and resources for people with epilepsy to slow or improve cognitive issues and memory loss.

Dr. Alice Lam is a neurologist and the principal investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston where her lab explores the interface between epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases, and cognition. If you have questions or concerns about the cognitive effects of epilepsy or anti-seizure medications on you or a loved one, this is the Seizing Life® episode for you.

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[sharonchamberlain]

I’ve had epilepsy for the past 41 years. No one understands and it makes me extremely uncomfortable and depressed

[Erin____]

I have temporal lobe epilepsy, primary focal aware with secondary generalized seizures. I went untreated for years. Doctor told me that these bizarre deja-vu episodes were psychiatric, until my first tonic-clonic occurred. Once I started having tonic-clonics, I noticed a decline in my cognition and memory. The medication side effects compound these struggles. I am fatigued and forgetful. I was so bright and ambitious, now I struggle so much. I had to resign from my dream job as an Architectural Design Professional because I was struggling to keep up with the workload. My managers were upset with me and began to treat me poorly due to performance issues. I just want to get better, and build a fulfilling career. I am so discouraged, and I don’t know what to do.

[thunderkhajiit]

I have epilepsy and it has been awful and makes my life really difficult but I don’t remember anything after it happens every day. I hope for a miracle

[infolab]

I broke into pieces... when I had realised how my future would be...., , because of this disorder I lost my hope and it has ruined not only my brain, , also my valuable dreams, goal, and my future 💔

[PhyliciaATL]

I havent had a seizure since 2019 and i take medication every day. I work a 8-5 job that requires me to complete tasks, and remember new processes.the amount of stress and anxiety i get when i forget something or can't remember something is horrible. I am very insecure about my ability to maintain and I dont think people really understand what it feels like.
I dont know what to do anymore.

[lldh]

Im here bc im 43 and qustioning if im crazy or has epilepsy screwed up my short term memory. Its horrible ans scary as i age!

[nandnisharma]

Kelly thank you so much for your efforts to generate awareness around epilepsy. I aura seizures after a cycling accident when I was 10 or 11 years old. Had 1 TC seizures in my late 30s and 1 when I was 41.

I was treated for depression, bi-polar and anxiety for years. But it has taken me 35 years to figure out what was actually happening to me and they were aura seizures. I had to figure it out on my own, docs could never figure out.

And I feel bad and sometimes angry that so many psychiatric medicines have gone into my I probably didn't need at all. Am still negotiating with my psychiatrist to taper of the bi-polar medicine. It's like fighting in the court.

[b]

I developed tonic-clonic seizures in college and after examinations and testing it was decided I had epilepsy and have been taking anti seizure medication. With this treatment it was discovered that this medication eliminated absence mals I was having throughout childhood. I thought it was something all people had. This malady had caused schools to label me as an inattentive student with failure to concentrate. So one advantage with having this issue in college is that medication eliminated all the past issues I had with epilepsy. In my advanced age I’m not as young as I used to be but no one accuses me of being an inattentive student.

[ChrisAndrews-sd]

I am a 55 yr old male. I was diagnosed when I was 11 yrs old to have epilepsy with my first of so many grand mal seizures. I had grand mal seizures till I was 25 when the drs tried a new drug to me that have stopped my seizures. My memory has been terribly affected with the timeframe of the seizures I had. My memory is still horrible and I wish that I could remember the things in my life. The positive is that I don’t have the seizures anymore.

[williamarmstrong]

What makes me med resistant.... I have numerous absence seizures a day... usually around a hundred or more. I now have home health care because of memory problems

[J-by]

I just found this channel. I am 47yrs old and have had about 8 seizures over the past 18 months including 3 last wed. I have been told I do not have Epilepsy so I am not exactly sure what is happening to me other than I am having generalized tonic clonic seizures. I also know that my memory has been terrible over the last few years as well. So far no meds have worked to control them. I am not allowed to work or drive or pretty much do anything without supervision, not sure exactly what my next step is until my next dr. apt in 2 weeks...

[brianmillett]

Hi! I never passed to the full my memory test when I was young or up to 55yo calmed but never cured in 3 places in my brain of epilepsy social mode not good, with few fits in life. My memory does not function well and I am told epilepsy came from 8 yo. I am not sure if it was not birth?

[zedekiahsnethen]

I was diagnosed 5 days before my 4th birthday. So I had my birthday in the hospital. 😢🎉

[sbaby-nphy]

I just moved and got a new epileptologist I'm in the process of speaking to them about what I can do about my memory I haven't lost my memory completely but some of my memory is foggy. I can still recall things from long ago so I would say a good portion of my long-term memory is still intact it's my short-term memory that really stinks that you know it's been said to me by you know my own husband he's like you seriously don't remember me telling you this like a week ago I'm like no and he's like wow your memory is really bad.

[heatherlemon]

Thank you for this as I’ve been recently diagnosed

[frozananwari]

I have epilepsy, I keep forgetting things too quickly that relates to my studies and there are many more things I forgot too quickly. I asked my doctor if epilepsy cause any memory problems but they said ‘No doesn’t cause any memory problems” and now I’m confused. Because I keep forgetting things I’m worried that I might fail my exams because I’m having hard time remembering things 😢

My wife was diagnosed with epilepsy 2 months ago and has had memory loss every week (sometimes every day) for 4 months.

Her brain goes back in time. When she loses her memory she believes she is in a date in the past and all she remembers are just things she experienced up to that date. She goes back in time to 2, 3, 5, 10 years ago, forgetting everything she has experienced since then (daughter, friends, work, marriage, etc.). I am recording everything in as much detail as possible and I cannot find similar cases on the internet or in scientific studies.

After a good sleep (night sleep or a sleep of about 1 hour during the day) her memory returns 100%.

[NizarAlvi]

I received my initial diagnosis in 2018, and since then, I've been regularly taking Tegral 200 before going to bed. I've experienced around 8 episodes so far in these 5 years. I'm wondering about your opinion on this—do you think my condition is severe, or is it considered normal? These episodes seemed to occur only when I either missed doses or stopped taking my medication.

[JayDash]

I am getting more panicked after watching this video, especially as I am a university student. I had been worrying for a year over why I cannot remember instructions from my lecturer or communicate verbally with coherence. My neurologist had assured me that my EEG reading and brain scan looked normal after I was formally diagnosed, which made me believe that everything is okay. However, as I come to hear on its impacts on ones short term memory, I am only starting to believe that my condition is critical, especially when I struggle to pay attention and use the wrong words when talking.

[Adaniellelove_]

A question I have is, if you haven’t had a seizure for ten years, how would it affect the brain if you had a seizure out of the blue? My husband has epilepsy and had not had a seizure for 10 or so years he had his first seizure on Sunday is in the hospital and is still having seizures.