RESUMO
The paper is centered in the comparative study of three groups of long-term epileptic patients in which therapeutic control is difficult to achieve, by means of several neuropsychological tests evaluating levels of intelligence, memory, language and praxis. Paget's tests of conservation of physical quantities revealed no significant differences in results obtained from the exploration of operative levels between epileptics with right temporal, left temporal or centrencephalic electroencephalographic foci. There is no parallel decrease of operative level when present, and deficit of mnesic functions, which is constantly observed in the three groups and usually evidenced in short-term memory. The graphic representation of projective space (Cube, house), is parallel to operative weakening. No significant relationship between lateralization of focus and graphic performance is observed. Language exploration by means of Benton and Spreen's battery of tests shows distinctly similar results in the three groups of patients. The location of the epileptic focus shows no relevance with respect to language disturbances. The most outstanding pathologic phenomenon is a certain degree of anomia observed in the naming of objects. Its significance is discussed (Slight degree of amnesic aphasia, deficit of evocative memory, or a lexical level in accordance with the operative deficit). The deficit of the repetition of sentences test and in others including a time element should not be ascribed to a specific language deficit. True aphasia was present in only three patients of the left temporal group after prolonged status epilepticus.
