Two years after epilepsy surgery in children: Recognition of emotions expressed by faces

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine whether children with epilepsy surgery in their history are able to recognize emotions expressed by faces and whether this recognition is associated with demographic variables [age, sex, and verbal intelligence (VIQ)] and/or epilepsy variables (epilepsy duration, side of the surgery, surgery area, resection of the amygdala, etiology, antiepileptic drug use, and seizure freedom). Methods Two years after epilepsy surgery, the Facial Expression of Emotion: Stimuli and Tests (FEEST) was administered to 41 patients (age: 4–20 years, mean: 13.5 years, 24 girls) and 82 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Data obtained longitudinally (before surgery and 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery) in a small subset (11 patients and 22 matched controls) were explored to obtain clues about the course of REEF from before surgery. Results Corrected for VIQ, REEF scored significantly lower in the 41 surgically treated patients than in matched control children. No significant relationship was found between REEF and any epilepsy variable. Only age at assessment predicted REEF score in both patients and controls. The longitudinal data revealed a ‘dip’ in emotion recognition at the first postsurgical assessment in the six younger patients (age: Conclusion Neither poor REEF present two years after childhood epilepsy surgery, nor the aberrant course of REEF in younger patients (age: