Abstract
Objective: This paper is a scoping review meant to identify and map the evidence associated with adults diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy and their auditory processing abilities.
Methods: The framework chosen for this scoping review to identify and map the evidence associated with adults diagnosed with TLE and their auditory processing abilities was PICO. The Population was adult’s, the Issue was temporal lobe epilepsy, there was no Comparison, and the Outcome measures were auditory processing findings. A literature database search analysis was completed using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central. Search criteria included searching adults, temporal lobe epilepsy, and auditory processing separately and then adding all the terms together to produce the results. Participants were excluded if they were under the age of 18 and/or did not have a confirmed diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. All articles were identified and screened for eligibility according to PRISMA standards. All data was critically appraised using the modified JBI critical appraisal checklist and documented on a data extraction for assessing risk of bias, level of evidence, and inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Results: Seven articles were chosen to be presented for the purpose of this scoping review. These included 3 cross-sectional research designs and 4 quasi-experimental prospectively controlled study research design. Each of the studies chosen evaluated the individuals for temporal lobe epilepsy, laterality of disease, duration of disease, and the affects the disease has on the individuals auditory processing abilities.
Clinical Implications: The results of the studies show that individuals with diagnosed TLE do have impaired auditory processing functioning. Knowing this could increase the number of clinicians who test these patients for auditory processing impairment. The more clinicians who are aware of these auditory processing abnormalities the sooner treatment can be implemented. Proper treatment and management for these individuals is crucial and could help improve overall quality of life.
