Abstract: ObjectiveTo find the cognitive function impairment in children with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes and to find a sensitive index which can reveal the cognitive function impairment.Methods21 patients with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes participated in this study. 21 normal subjects, matched for age, gender, years of education and family socioeconomic status, served as controls. Subjects were asked to judged weather the two sequentially presented numbers (S1 and S2) in a digit pair were identical or not, while event-related potential (ERPs) were recorded from electrodes on their scalp.ResultsN270 was evoked by S2 of the conflict condition in either controls or patients. Compared with control group, N270 latency was significantly prolonged and the amplitude decreased in the patient group. However, the peak latency and amplitude of P300 were not changed significantly in patient group. ConclusionChildren with benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes as a group show cognitive function impairment. Conflict negative N270 can be employed as a method for evaluating cognitive disturbance, which seems subtler than P300 in detecting mild cognitive function impairment.

Key words: event-related potential, N270, centro-temporal spikes, epilepsy, cognitive function