Addressing neuropsychological diagnostics in adults with epilepsy: Introducing the International Classification of Cognitive Disorders in Epilepsy: The IC CODE Initiative

Marc Norman; Sarah J Wilson; Sallie Baxendale; William Barr; Cady Block; Robyn M Busch; Alberto Fernandez; Erik Hessen; David W Loring; Carrie R McDonald; Bruce P Hermann

doi:10.1002/epi4.12478

Addressing neuropsychological diagnostics in adults with epilepsy: Introducing the International Classification of Cognitive Disorders in Epilepsy: The IC CODE Initiative

Epilepsia Open. 2021 Jun;6(2):266-275. doi: 10.1002/epi4.12478. Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Authors

Marc Norman^{1

2}, Sarah J Wilson^{3

4}, Sallie Baxendale⁵, William Barr⁶, Cady Block⁷, Robyn M Busch⁸, Alberto Fernandez⁹, Erik Hessen^{10

11}, David W Loring^{7

12}, Carrie R McDonald^{1

12}, Bruce P Hermann¹³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
² Executive Director of the International Neuropsychological Society.
³ Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
⁴ Chair, Diagnostic Methods Commission, International League Against Epilepsy.
⁵ Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
⁶ Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, NYU-Langone Medical Center and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
⁷ Department of Neurology and Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
⁸ Epilepsy Center and Department of Neurology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
⁹ Neuropsychology Department, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba & Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
¹⁰ Departments of Psychology and Neurology, University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
¹¹ Chair of the European Federation of Psychological Association's Standing Committee on Clinical Neuropsychology.
¹² Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
¹³ Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.

Abstract

This paper addresses the absence of an international diagnostic taxonomy for cognitive disorders in patients with epilepsy. Initiated through the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding between the International League Against Epilepsy and the International Neuropsychological Society, neuropsychological representatives from both organizations met to address the problem and consequences of the absence of an international diagnostic taxonomy for cognitive disorders in epilepsy, overview potential solutions, and propose specific solutions going forward. The group concluded that a classification of cognitive disorders in epilepsy, including an overall taxonomy and associated operational criteria, was clearly lacking and sorely needed. This paper reviews the advantages and shortcomings of four existing cognitive diagnostic approaches, including taxonomies derived from the US National Neuropsychology Network, DSM-V Neurocognitive Disorders, the Mild Cognitive Impairment classification from the aging/preclinical dementia literature, and the Research Domain Criteria Initiative. We propose a framework to develop a consensus-based classification system for cognitive disorders in epilepsy that will be international in scope and be applicable for clinical practice and research globally and introduce the International Classification of Cognitive Disorders in Epilepsy (IC-CODE) project.

Keywords: IC-Code; cognitive diagnosis; neuropsychology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Cognition
Cognition Disorders* / diagnosis
Epilepsy* / diagnosis
Epilepsy* / psychology
Humans
Neuropsychological Tests
Neuropsychology