Uncovering language deficits in focal epilepsy: Beyond the limits of noun naming and verbal fluency

Our results show that current approaches to language assessment are inadequate for identifying language impairments in people with focal epilepsy, and likely underestimate the prevalence of language impairment in this population. In particular, verb naming and picture description subtests revealed deficits across the majority of the sample, highlighting the need for more comprehensive assessment of language to be routinely conducted in this population.