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RESULTS
1.Clinical Laboratory Measures. Clinical anticonvulsant levels are shown in Table 1. There is no apparent relationship between anticonvulsant medication levels and changes in seizure frequency or neuropsychological test results. Clinical EEG's remain fundamentally unchanged (Table 2).
2.Seizure Frequency. Figure I depicts monthly seizure frequency of four subjects over a period of 24 months. A consistent decreasing trend can be seen in all individuals. Continued decrease in seizure frequency in the one-year period after cessation of therapy can be seen with the three individuals who persisted in having seizures during the actual clinical treatment time. Individual differences in reduction of seizures are outlined in case histories (see pp. 29-31).
3. Four out of five of our subjects carried out significant positive life changes. These included enrollment in college, an increased social life, directing a training project for epilepsy and running a major political effort, job employment for the first time in eight years, and teaching nursery school. In every instance, personal and family life showed significant improvement (cf. pp. 29-3 1).
4.Neuropsychological Testing. Subjects showed improvement as assessed by the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test, on the following measures (** a = .062. * a = .125):
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
** Full Scale I.Q.
** Performance I.Q
* Verbal I.Q.
* Block Design
* Picture Arrangement
Wechsler Memory Scale
* Memory Quotient
* Mental Control
* Visual Memory
* Paired Associations
Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery
* Category test
* Tactual Performance test
* Dominant Hand
* Non-Dominant Hand
* Total Time
* Memory
* Localization
* Trails A
* Rhythm test
* #Writing Dominant Hand
* Impairment Index
Consistent patterns of improvement are apparent (see Table 3). The Impairment Index provides an overall measure of the degree of cerebral dysfunctioning. On this measure, three of the four subjects showed improvement. Specific gains were made on measures of abstract reasoning, intelligence, memory, attention, and concentration. In addition to these higher functions, improvements were also made on certain sensory (Fingertip Number Writing) and motor (Tactual Performance Test) tasks. Pre-therapy MMPI profiles are consistent with substantial personality disturbance in two of the four subjects (C.A. & K.W.). On re-testing, two (C.A. & K.P.) showed improvement, one (D.P.) remained essentially the same, and one (K.W.) showed greater degree of disturbance. (A subsequent third administration of the MMPI for this subject nine months later did show significant improvement over the first two MMPI profiles.) On the Rorschach test, all but one of the subjects (D.P.) manifested an excessive degree of fabulized imagery and marked looseness of association prior to therapy. On re-testing, all three of these subjects' protocols showed a reduction in these features. |