Assessing Executive Function in Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Through a Game-Based Assessment Task.

OBJECTIVES

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is often accompanied by executive function (EF) impairment, highlighting the need for accessible and quantitative assessment approaches. In this study, we applied our previously developed game-based executive function assessment tool (EFAT) to evaluate EF performance in TLE patients.

METHODS

Thirty-two TLE patients and 29 healthy controls (HCs) completed a comprehensive battery of standardized tests, including the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT) and the Trail Making Test (TMT), as well as the EFAT. Metrics from the EFAT (number of touches, number of correct guesses, accuracy, and learning latency) were selected and analyzed.

RESULTS

Compared with HCs, TLE patients showed significant EF deficits, including longer completion times on TMT-A (t(59) = 4.42, p < 0.001) and TMT-B (t(59) = 3.50, p = 0.001), as well as poorer SCWT-1 performance (t(59) = 2.22, p = 0.036). In the EFAT, TLE patients exhibited more touches (t(59) = -2.75, p = 0.008), fewer correct guesses (t(59) = -3.74, p < 0.001), and lower accuracy (t(59) = -2.65, p = 0.010). Game-derived metrics were significantly correlated with TMT scores.

CONCLUSIONS

EFAT detected executive deficits in TLE patients across social and nonsocial conditions and offered an objective, engaging complementary tool for EF assessment. These findings support its preliminary clinical applicability.