Comparison of auditory event-related potentials between children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes and children with temporal lobe epilepsy

- Children with epilepsy showed prolonged P300 latencies and reduced amplitudes.
- Epileptic activity in temporal lobe leads to more severe P300 impairments.
- Severity and location of discharges in temporal lobe epilepsy account for P300 changes.
- Seizure control gradually reduces functional changes caused by electric discharges.
- Centrotemporal and temporal lobe discharges can impair central auditory system.

The abnormal brain discharges observed in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are located close to areas responsible for auditory and language processing. This study aimed to analyze the results of auditory event-related potentials (P300) in children with BECTS and TLE in order to assess whether the epileptic activity in centrotemporal and temporal regions may compromise the integrity and physiology of auditory system structures. This was a prospective, comparative, and cross-sectional study. Group I (GI) consisted of 13 children diagnosed with BECTS, group II (GII), 7 children diagnosed with TLE, and control group (GIII), 16 healthy children, with no hearing or academic complaints. After neurological and basic audiological assessments, P300 was applied. The P300 latency and amplitude were compared between groups. Regarding latency, GI showed 324.1 (+ 31.5) ms, GII 336.3 (+ 23.5) ms, and GIII 318 (+ 27.7) ms. Amplitudes were 4.80 (+ 3.2) μV in GI, 4.7 (+ 2.5) μV in GII, and 5.8 (+ 2.4) μV in GIII. Although children with BECTS showed prolonged latencies and reduced amplitudes, these differences were not considered statistically significant. Children with TLE showed statistically significant prolonged P300 latency compared with the control group (P = 0.037). We speculate that abnormal electrical discharges in centrotemporal and temporal regions led to the slowing of auditory processing in our sample.