Rehabilitation of Cognition and Psychosocial Well-being in Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a complex and chronic neurological disorder whose definition is not limited to seizures and also includes social, psychological, and cognitive consequences associated with this frequent condition. Despite good knowledge of the burden of cognitive deficits and psychosocial difficulties in epilepsy, there have been few attempts to address these issues through rehabilitation programs. The Rehabilitation of Cognition and Psychosocial well-being - A Better Life with Epilepsy (ReCaP-ABLE) study will consist of the creation and implementation of a psychological intervention in a randomized waitlist-controlled trial within a sample of adults with epilepsy. The trial is designed to provide novel evidence regarding 1) the effectiveness of a psychological-cognitive intervention in improving quality of life, objective and subjective cognitive functioning as well as reducing mental health symptomatology, 2) the target epilepsy population for which cognitive and psychosocial rehabilitation is most effective, and 3) the transfer effects of such an intervention. This interdisciplinary trial involving neurology and psychology specialists is set to guide evidence-based treatment for cognitive and psychological comorbidities that are prevalent in epilepsy but receive insufficient attention in clinical settings.