B-25: Convergent Related Validity of the Cognitive Status Scale Measure in a Pediatric Temporal Lobe Tumor-Related Epilepsy Cohort

Abstract

Objective: Epilepsy is common in pediatric patients with temporal lobe tumors and is associated with long-term neurocognitive impairment (NCI). The Cognitive Status Scale (CSS) is a coding system that generates domain scores (executive functioning; complex attention; learning and memory; language; perceptual motor) and a total score for summarizing clinical assessment batteries into performance-based metrics for outcomes research. We investigated the utility of the CSS. Method/Data Selection: 41 youth aged 6-20 years (M=12.8, SD=3.7) with a diagnosis of either childhood onset tumor-related epilepsy (n=20) or non-neoplastic temporal lobe epilepsy (n=21) following clinical neuropsychological evaluations. A pediatric neuropsychologist (“A”; not involved in the clinical care) independently coded the CSS (any domain score of ≤3 = NCI). Comparisons were made between CSS rates of impairment and rates of NCI across clinically administered tests of intelligence, executive functioning, and memory (>1.5 SD below the normative mean on at least one task) reported by neuropsychologists (“B”; involved in the clinical care). Associations between CSS and neurocognitive tests were also explored. Results/Data Synthesis: NCI was observed in 78% of the sample on the CSS (“A”) and 100% of the sample (“B”). The CSS total scores and intelligence scores were strongly correlated (rs=.83, p<.001). Significant correlations were also observed across all CSS domains and corresponding neuropsychological measures (rs ranged between .45 and .83, p<.05). Conclusions: The CSS quickly and easily categorizes children with neurocognitive impairment. Easy to generate metrics of performance-based cognition are essential to progress the state of the science related to cognitive outcomes in complex pediatric medical populations.