Impact of Polytherapy on Memory Functioning in Patients With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: The Role of Attention and Executive Functions.

This article investigates how polytherapy, defined by the number of administered anti-seizure medications (ASMs), interacts with attentional and executive functioning—measured by the EpiTrack screening tool—to affect memory performance before and after epilepsy surgery in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Two studies involving adult patients showed that those with impaired EpiTrack performance taking three to four ASMs exhibited significantly poorer presurgical memory and greater postsurgical memory decline compared to patients with intact EpiTrack performance on the same number of ASMs; no such differences were observed in patients taking two ASMs. The findings indicate that attentional and executive functioning moderates the relationship between ASM load and memory outcomes, highlighting the combined use of EpiTrack scores and ASM count as valuable for predicting postsurgical memory changes.