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Correlation between temporal pole MRI abnormalities and surface ictal EEG patterns in patients with unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this retrospective study is to analyze ictal patterns observed during continuous Video-EEG monitoring in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) due to unilateral hippocampal sclerosis (HS), and to correlate these EEG patterns to temporal pole abnormalities observed on magnetic resonance imaging exams. METHODS: We analyzed 147 seizures from 35 patients with TLE and unilateral HS. Ictal patterns were classified and correlated to signal abnormalities and volumetric measures of the temporal poles. Volume differences over 10% were considered abnormal. RESULTS: The most frequent type of ictal pattern was rhythmic theta activity (RTA), encountered in 65.5% of the seizures. Rhythmic beta activity (RBA) was observed in 11% of the seizures, localized attenuation in 8%, interruption of epileptiform discharges in 6%, repetitive discharges in 5.5%, and rhythmic delta activity (RDA) in 4%. Sixty-six percent of the patients presented signal abnormalities in the temporal pole that were always ipsilateral to the HS. Sixty percent presented significant asymmetry of the temporal poles consisting of reduced volume that was also always ipsilateral to HS. Although patients with RTA as the predominant ictal pattern tended to present asymmetry of temporal poles (p=0.305), the ictal EEG pattern did not correlate with temporal pole asymmetry or signal abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: RTA is the most frequent initial ictal pattern in patients with TLE due to unilateral HS. Temporal pole signal changes and volumetric reduction were commonly found in this group of patients, both abnormalities appearing always ipsilateral to the HS. However, neither temporal pole volume reduction nor signal abnormalities correlated with the predominant ictal pattern, suggesting that the temporal poles are not crucially involved in the process of epileptogenesis.

Adult↗

The relationship between paired pulse magnetic MEP and surgical prognosis in patients with intractable epilepsy.

PURPOSE: To assess whether paired pulse magnetic motor evoked potential (MEP) can predict surgical prognosis in patients with intractable epilepsy. METHODS: MEP of the unilateral hand muscles were recorded following paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex. The interstimulus intervals of paired stimulation were 1-16 ms with a conditioning stimulus that was 90% active motor threshold. Subjects were six patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) scheduled for anterior temporal lobectomy and three patients with myoclonic or head-drop seizures scheduled for anterior corpus callosotomy, resulting in the unilateralization of epileptic discharges. The hemisphere showing unilateral discharges was defined as the affected hemisphere. The intracortical inhibition and facilitation curve was drawn based on MEP before and after surgery and the relationship between MEP and surgical prognosis was investigated. RESULTS: In five patients with TLE showing class I surgical results (Engel's classification), the affected hemisphere showing cortical hyperexcitability preoperatively was almost normalized after surgery. However, in a patient with class III, the unaffected hemisphere showed cortical hyperexcitability before and after surgery. In the callosotomy group, two patients with excellent outcomes showed the same results as TLE group with class I. CONCLUSIONS: Paired pulse magnetic MEP may provide predictive value in terms of surgical outcome in those patients with intractable epilepsy.

Adolescent↗

Psychiatric disorders in temporal lobe epilepsy patients over the first year after surgical treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychiatric disorders over a 1-year period in a group of TLE patients who underwent surgery. METHODS: Prospective, open study in a sample of 70 TLE patients. Psychiatric disorders' assessment was made before surgery, and at 1, 6 and 12 months after surgery, with the structured clinical diagnostic interview for DSM-IV axis I diagnoses (SCID). Presurgical psychiatric and neurological variables were compared with the outcomes of surgery and the course of psychiatric pathology over the follow-up through parametric and non-parametric tests. RESULTS: Depression decreased from 17.2% before surgery to 4.3% at 12 months after surgery (chi(2)=5.41, d.f.=1, p=0.071), anxiety disorders decreased from 21.5% before surgery to 14.2% at 12 months after surgery (chi(2)=10.309, d.f.=1, p<0.005). Patients with no presurgical psychiatric condition had lower postsurgical rate of psychiatric disorders than those with psychiatric history (X(2)=9.87, gl=1, p< or =0.001), with psychiatric disorders in the presurgical evaluation (X(2)=12.02, gl=1, p< or =0.001), or with both conditions (chi(2)=15.28, d.f.=1, p<0.001). No association was found between psychiatric disorders and the outcomes after surgery. No association was found between the course of psychiatric disorders before and after surgery and neurological or neurosurgical variables. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery in TLE patients does not worsen the global psychopathological status. Presurgical psychiatric morbidity was found to be related to the presence of psychiatric disorders after surgery. Specific psychiatric assessment should be made before and after surgery.

Adult↗

Microdialysis of the lateral and medial temporal lobe during temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to establish whether, in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), there are relative differences between the lateral and ipsilateral medial temporal lobe in the extracellular levels of 3 of the human brain's major neuroactive amino acids. METHODS: Seven generally anesthetized patients with TLE undergoing anatomically standardized resective surgery had at operation microdialysis catheters inserted within the middle temporal gyrus (ie, lateral temporal lobe) and anterior hippocampus (ie, medial temporal lobe). Surface electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings were also obtained. Samples of 10-minute dialysate were quantified for glutamate, aspartate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) using high-performance liquid chromatography; corresponding ECoG data were assessed for epileptiform activity. Where available, resection tissue was subjected to histopathological analysis. RESULTS: The ratio of mean "sample 3" dialysate levels of glutamate, aspartate, and GABA was approximately 20:2:1, respectively, in both the minimally epileptiform lateral (n = 7) and medial (n = 5) temporal lobe; between the 2 sets of samples, these levels were not significantly different (P > 0.05 for each amino acid studied). From the vigorously epileptiform medial temporal lobe of 2 patients, sample 3 dialysate levels of the excitatory amino acids glutamate and aspartate were found in considerably greater concentrations (between 15- and 37-fold) with correspondingly less dramatic increases of the inhibitory amino acid GABA (more than 11- and 13-fold). Laterally resected tissue (obtained in 3 cases) did not demonstrate significant cortical or subcortical abnormalities; medial resection tissue from all patients demonstrated, in varying degrees, hippocampal sclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of significant tissue hyperexcitability, despite known differences in local cellular and/or histopathological architecture, the extracellular relationship among glutamate, aspartate, and GABA is not dissimilar in both the lateral and ipsilateral medial temporal lobe of TLE patients. Considerable disparity in dialysate levels recovered (eg, from the vigorously epileptiform medial temporal lobe) may be related to the functional (ie, hyperexcitable) status of the sampled tissue.

Action Potentials↗

Antidepressive treatment in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and major depression: a prospective study with three different antidepressants.

Major depression (MD) is underdiagnosed and undertreated in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Side effects of some antidepressants, like increased risk of seizures and drug-drug interactions with anticonvulsants, contribute to undertreatment of MD in patients with TLE. We analyzed post hoc the data from 2 years of treatment of inpatients with MD and TLE. Seventy-five patients received standard treatment with citalopram, mirtazapine, or reboxetine, respectively, at recommended dosage. Examinations were done with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression at admission and after 4 and 20-30 weeks. Plasma levels of anticonvulsants were examined at admission and discharge. Seizures were documented. The antidepressive treatment was efficacious in all antidepressant groups. No case of serious adverse event or drug interaction occurred. There was no increase in frequency or severity of seizures. At endpoint the dropout rate for mirtazapine was significantly higher than that for reboxetine or citalopram. Reboxetine showed a trend to be more efficacious than citalopram but not mirtazapine at Week 4.

Adult↗

Bilateral hippocampal volume predicts verbal memory function in temporal lobe epilepsy.

The present study used quantitative volume estimates of the hippocampus based on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict memory performance of individuals with epilepsy of temporal lobe origin (TLE). Twenty individuals with TLE completed standardized neuropsychological tests and a quality of life inventory, and participated in a brain MRI protocol designed to obtain high-resolution images of the hippocampus. The combined volume of the left and right hippocampi was found to be the best predictor of objective verbal memory performance. This finding is consistent with the functional adequacy model of hippocampal function. In contrast, the asymmetry between right and left hippocampal volume was the best predictor of subjective ratings of cognitive functioning, which is consistent with the functional reserve model. The collective and complementary functions of the left and right hippocampi merit further exploration in prospective studies of memory function and TLE.

Adult↗

Depressed mood and memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy as a function of focus lateralization and localization.

OBJECTIVE: Memory disorders and depressed mood are prominent psychological symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsies (TLEs). We examined the interaction of depressive mood and memory as a function of focus localization. METHODS: One hundred fifty-two TLE patients with right mesial (n=37, RTLE-AHS), right lateral (n=31, RTLE-LAT), left mesial (n=42, LTLE-AHS), and left lateral (n=42, LTLE-LAT) lesions and epilepsies underwent comprehensive presurgical evaluation and neuropsychological assessment of mood and memory. Univariate and multivariate analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) and partial correlation analyses were performed to reveal interactions of depression and memory as a function of focus localization. RESULTS: No differences between the study groups were revealed for depression, indicating a general risk of 30% for depressed mood (BDI>12) in patients with TLE. ANCOVAs revealed significant main effects of focus side (left: verbal learning deficits; right: figural learning deficits) and site (mesial at disadvantage) on learning and memory scores. Correlation analyses revealed interactions between memory and mood only in LTLE-LAT patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although the data provide evidence that side and site of the epileptogenic region differentially affect material specific memory performance, there was no evidence of a specific temporal target region for depressive mood. In the majority of the patients, depressed mood and memory impairment appeared as independent rather than as related symptoms of TLE. In LTLE-LAT, however, mood was significantly related to verbal and figural memory performance. Epilepsy-driven pathological left temporofrontal circuits are discussed as a prerequisite for the coupling of mood disorders and memory impairment in this specific patient subgroup which is also known from the psychiatric major depression syndrome.

Adult↗

Neuropsychological change following gamma knife surgery in patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy: a review of three cases.

Gamma knife surgery (GKS) is a radiation procedure recently used in the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Preliminary studies have shown significant seizure reductions in patients 8-26 months postprocedure; however, little is known about the effect of GKS on cognitive functioning in TLE. We report neuropsychological data on three patients with left TLE and MRI evidence of hippocampal sclerosis who underwent GKS. Two models for assessing cognitive change, reliable change indices and regression-based norms for change, were used to measure preoperative versus 13- to 27-month postoperative cognitive change. Results revealed a significantly long delayed verbal memory decline on one measure following GKS. No patient declined on measures of IQ, visual memory, or language. Radiation-induced edema was present at the time of testing in all three patients, which may have affected verbal memory performance. While preliminary, these data suggest that GKS offers a less invasive option to anterior temporal lobectomy, but may produce neuropsychological changes similar to those produced by left anterior temperol lobectomy up to 2 years post-GKS treatment.

Adult↗

Apparent diffusion coefficient measurements in the hippocampus and amygdala of patients with temporal lobe seizures and in healthy volunteers.

PURPOSE: The goals of this work were to measure the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) for both hippocampus and amygdala of persons diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and unilateral hippocampus pathology on magnetic resonance imaging and to evaluate the sensitivity of diffusion-weighted (DW) images in determination of the lateralization of the epileptogenic focus. METHODS: Thirteen cases with a TLE diagnosis and 21 healthy subjects were evaluated. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and T2W images of TLE cases revealed hippocampal volume loss and signal intensity changes. DW images were obtained by spin-echo echo-planar sequences vertical to the hippocampal axis. Qualitative and quantitative ADCs for left and right hippocampus and the amygdala of the controls and the patients were determined. Hippocampal ADCs were obtained independently at the head, body, and tail levels of the hippocampus. Statistical evaluation was conducted with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Predictive cutoff levels of hippocampal ADCs for identifying pathologic areas were established through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULT: On conventional images, 5 of 13 cases had right hippocampal pathology, and 8 of 13 cases had left hippocampal pathology. There were no bilateral hippocampal changes in signal intensity and no cases with bilateral atrophy. The amygdala was normal in all patients except one case of hyperintense signals. No statistical differences were found between the hippocampal and amygdaloid ADCs of the control subjects (P > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference between the ADCs for the side with hippocampal pathology and the ADCs for the contralateral side, and the control group (P < 0.001). No statistical difference was detected for the amygdala (P > 0.05). Hippocampal and amygdaloid ADCs of the contralateral lesion and the values of the control group were not statistically significantly different (P > 0.05). ROC curve analysis indicated 136 as the best cutoff level for hippocampal pathology. CONCLUSION: DW trace images are insensitive in lateralization of hippocampal pathology; however, lateralization can be achieved through ADC measurements of the hippocampus. An increase in ADC on the affected side should be considered as indicating pathology. On the other hand, amygdaloid ADC values remain inaccurate.

Adolescent↗

Hush sign: a new clinical sign in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Neurologists have been analyzing the clinical behaviors that occur during seizures for many years. Several ictal behaviors have been defined in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Ictal behaviors are especially important in the evaluation of epilepsy surgery candidates. We propose a new lateralizing sign in TLE originating from the nondominant hemisphere-the "hush" sign. Our patients were 30- and 21-year old women (Cases 1 and 2, respectively). Their epileptogenic foci were localized to the right mesial temporal region after noninvasive presurgical investigations. Case 1 had no cranial MRI abnormality, whereas cranial MRI revealed right hippocampal atrophy in Case 2. These women repeatedly moved their right index fingers to their mouth while puckering their lips during complex partial seizures. We have named this ictal behavior the "hush" sign. Anterior temporal lobectomy with amygdalohippocampectomy was performed in both patients, and pathological examinations revealed hippocampal sclerosis. The "hush" sign no longer occurred after seizures were controlled. They were seizure free as of 30 and 31 months of follow-up, respectively. We believe that the "hush" sign may be supportive of a diagnosis of TLE originating from the nondominant hemisphere. This sign may occur as a result of ictal activation of a specific brain region in this hemisphere.

Adult↗

Impact of childhood epilepsy on reading and phonological processing abilities.

Although children with epilepsy tend to exhibit more reading difficulties than their classmates, no systematic studies have investigated the relationship between these difficulties and epilepsy. As functional neuroimaging studies have implicated both temporal and frontal lobes in the phonological aspect of reading [K.R. Pugh, B.A. Shaywitz, S.E. Shaywitz, et al. Brain 1996;119:1221-38], seizure activity originating in either region could interfere with phonological processing, whereas generalized seizures would not disturb this function as much. To explore this hypothesis, we compared the metaphonological skills of school-aged children with either temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), or generalized absence seizures (ABS) with those of healthy controls. While the reading ability of all epileptic children was close to 2 years behind expectations, children with TLE did not differ from the controls on phonological tasks. In contrast, children with FLE exhibited significant deficits, whereas children with ABS showed difficulties restricted to phonemic segmentation. The results suggest that FLE and, to a lesser extent, generalized seizures may interfere with phonological processing, whereas TLE may affect other aspects of reading.

Analysis of Variance↗

Epilepsy increases vulnerability of long-term face recognition to proactive interference.

Proactive interference (PI) decreases short- and long-term memory in healthy subjects. Neurological patients exhibit a heightened PI effect on short-term memory. It is, however, not known if PI affects long-term memory in neurological patients. We analyzed whether epilepsy heightens the negative effect of PI on long-term face memory. PI was induced by a list of 20 faces learned 24 hours prior to a target list of 20 faces. We tested immediate and 24-hour recognition for both lists. Twelve healthy controls and 42 patients with generalized epilepsy or temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) were studied. PI led to a decrease in 24-hour recognition in patients with generalized epilepsy and TLE but not in controls. Thus, PI may cause long-term memory disturbances in epilepsy patients. PI was also associated with decreased short-term memory, but only in right TLE. This confirms the dominant role of the right temporal lobe in short-term face memory.

Adolescent↗

Temporal lobe epilepsy as a model to understand human memory: the distinction between explicit and implicit memory.

Decades of research have provided substantial evidence of memory impairments in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), including deficits in the encoding, storage, and retrieval of new information. These findings are not surprising, given the associated underlying neuroanatomy, including the hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal lobe structures. Because of its associated anatomic and cognitive characteristics, TLE has provided an excellent model by which to examine specific aspects of human memory functioning, including classic distinctions such as that between explicit and implicit memory. Various clinical and experimental research studies have supported the idea that both conscious and unconscious processes support memory functioning, but the role of relevant brain structures has been the subject of debate. This review is concerned with a discussion of the current status of this research and, importantly, how TLE can inform future studies of memory distinctions.

Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe↗

Recognition of emotion with temporal lobe epilepsy and asymmetrical amygdala damage.

PURPOSE: Impairments in emotion recognition occur when there is bilateral damage to the amygdala. In this study, ability to recognize auditory and visual expressions of emotion was investigated in people with asymmetrical amygdala damage (AAD) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). METHODS: Recognition of five emotions was tested across three participant groups: those with right AAD and TLE, those with left AAD and TLE, and a comparison group. Four tasks were administered: recognition of emotion from facial expressions, sentences describing emotion-laden situations, nonverbal sounds, and prosody. RESULTS: Accuracy scores for each task and emotion were analysed, and no consistent overall effect of AAD on emotion recognition was found. However, some individual participants with AAD were significantly impaired at recognizing emotions, in both auditory and visual domains. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that a minority of individuals with AAD have impairments in emotion recognition, but no evidence of specific impairments (e.g., visual or auditory) was found.

Adult↗

Memory for famous faces and the temporal pole: functional imaging findings in temporal lobe epilepsy.

The ability to recognize, name, and provide information about famous persons is deficient in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), although the neural basis for these deficits is not well understood. We examined the relationship of resting metabolism of the temporal poles, as determined by [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, to performance on a task of famous face recognition, naming, and generation of semantic information in 12 patients with TLE. Correlations between metabolic measures of the temporal poles and performance on the Famous Faces Task revealed strong relationships between all aspects of the Famous Faces Task and the left temporal pole, whereas Famous Faces Task correlations with the right temporal pole were not significant. These findings indicate that the left temporal pole is associated with lexical and semantic retrieval of knowledge of famous persons in patients with TLE. Further study appears warranted to elucidate the networks involved in semantic knowledge for famous faces.

Adolescent↗

Measurement of remote memory pre- and post-temporal lobectomy: a longitudinal case study.

There is evidence that remote memory is affected by temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and by temporal lobectomy (TL) for the relief of epilepsy. However, remote memory is not routinely assessed when patients with epilepsy undergo neuropsychological testing either pre- or postsurgery. We present a literature review and detailed longitudinal case study of a woman (A.Z.) who had right TLE and fears about deterioration of her remote memory following right TL. Remote memory was assessed by conventional methods (remote memory questionnaire for public events) and by a novel method of seeking vividness ratings for elicited autobiographical memories with A.Z.'s partner acting as the control. A.Z.'s level of memory for remote/recent public events and her rate of forgetting were the same as her partner's, both before and after surgery. A.Z.'s vividness ratings for her own autobiographical memories were similar to her partner's ratings for his memories. Her vividness ratings for her partner's memories that involved events common to both of them were slightly lower than his. A.Z.'s rate of forgetting of her own and her partner's memories was the same as that of her partner, both before and after surgery. There are two principal conclusions. First, this assessment method of measuring remote memory is easy to use and captured the patient's clinical concerns. Second, applying the methodology in this single case suggested that right-sided unilateral TLE and TL may pose no threat to remote memory.

Adult↗

Biogenic amines in the human neocortex in patients with neocortical and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy: identification with in situ microvoltammetry.

Biogenic amines in well defined subtypes of human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) have not been well characterized. Specimens from five patients with neocortical TLE (NTLE) and nine with mesial TLE (MTLE) were immediately placed in Ringer's lactate; stearate indicator microelectrodes were placed in temporal gray matter, Ag/AgCl reference microelectrodes and auxiliary microelectrodes were placed 3-7 mm contralaterally to the indicator microelectrode. Dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) were identified by their characteristic oxidative potentials in vitro. Four of five patients with NTLE had NE depletion in temporal neocortex while eight of nine patients with MTLE had high concentrations of NE (chi-square P<0.01). Significant concentrations of DA were present in the temporal lobes of three of five NTLE patients but in only one of the nine MTLE patients (chi-square P<0.05). 5-HT was present in the neocortex of both NTLE and MTLE patients in similar concentrations. AA was found in the neocortex of one NTLE patient. These data support an association between NE depletion and NTLE. The relative NE deficiency along with the consistent presence of DA in NTLE patients suggest an impairment in the catecholamine pathway. The presence of AA, a co-factor in NE synthesis, in the neocortex of one NTLE patient may also be related since AA is a cofactor in NE synthesis.

Biogenic Amines↗

Material specific learning during electrical stimulation of the human hippocampus.

Material specific learning was assessed during unilateral electrical stimulation of the hippocampus through intracerebrally implanted electrodes in 30 patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Verbal learning significantly decreased in patients with right TLE after stimulation of the left, but not the right, hippocampus. No verbal learning impairment was observed in left TLE patients following stimulation of either hippocampus. Visuospatial memory performance significantly decreased following stimulation of the right hippocampus regardless of the side of seizure onset. Results suggest that the contralateral "nonepileptic" hippocampus does not assume the material specific mnestic functions of the dysfunctional hippocampus associated with longstanding epilepsy.

Analysis of Variance↗