Abstract: ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics of event-related potential (ERP) N270 and the value of ERP N270 to detect the cognitive function in patients with epilepsy.MethodsThirty-five epileptics were divided into carbamazepine (CBZ) group (n=10), valproate (VPA) group (n=10) and no treatment group (n=15) according to drugs they took, and other 10 healthy subjects were selected as the control group. All subjects were evaluated by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and ERP was recorded at same time.ResultsAll patients in three groups showed a delayed and smaller N270 than the control group ( P<0.01). VPA group had the lowest N270 amplitude. The amplitude of P300 elicited in the match condition decreased in the VPA group compared with other three groups ( P<0.05), but latency of the VPA group was not different from other three groups.ConclusionCognitive impairment is present in epilepsy patients, and the effect of anti-epileptic drug VPA on ability of patients to process conflict is more evidence than CBZ. The sensitivity of N270 to detect early cognitive impairment in epileptics is higher than P300.

Key words: epilepsy, carbamazepine, valproate, N270, P300