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Identification of abnormal neuronal metabolism outside the seizure focus in temporal lobe epilepsy.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify metabolically abnormal extrahippocampal brain regions in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with (TLE-MTS) and without (TLE-no) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence for mesial-temporal sclerosis (MTS) and to assess their value for focus lateralization by using multislice 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI). METHODS: MRSI in combination with tissue segmentation was performed on 14 TLE-MTS and seven TLE-no and 12 age-matched controls. In controls, N-acetylaspartate/(creatine + choline) [NAA/(Cr+Cho)] of all voxels of a given lobe was expressed as a function of white matter content to determine the 95% prediction interval for any additional voxel of a given tissue composition. Voxels with NAA/(Cr+Cho) below the lower limit of the 95% prediction interval were defined as "pathological" in patients and controls. Z-scores were used to identify regions with a higher percentage of pathological voxels than those in controls. RESULTS: Reduced NAA/(Cr+Cho) was found in ipsilateral temporal and parietal lobes and bilaterally in insula and frontal lobes. Temporal abnormalities identified the epileptogenic focus in 70% in TLE-MTS and 83% of TLE-no. Extratemporal abnormalities identified the epileptogenic focus in 78% of TLE-MTS but in only 17% of TLE-no. CONCLUSIONS: TLE is associated with extrahippocampal reductions of NAA/(Cr+Cho) in several lobes consistent with those brain areas involved in seizure spread. Temporal and extratemporal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions might be helpful for focus lateralization.

Adolescent↗

Lateralization of temporal lobe epilepsy and learning disabilities, as defined by disability-related civil rights law.

PURPOSE: Epilepsy research has identified higher rates of learning disorders in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). However, most studies have not adequately assessed complex functional adult learning skills, such as reading comprehension and written language. We designed this study to evaluate our predictions that higher rates of reading comprehension, written language, and calculation disabilities would be associated with left TLE versus right TLE. METHODS: Reading comprehension, written language, and calculation skills were assessed by using selected subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Tests of Achievement-Revised in a consecutive series of 31 presurgical patients with TLE. Learning disabilities were defined by one essential criterion consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Patients had left hemisphere language dominance based on Wada results, left or right TLE based on inpatient EEG monitoring, and negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), other than MRI correlates of mesial temporal sclerosis. RESULTS: Higher rates of reading comprehension, written language, and calculation disabilities were associated with left TLE, as compared with right TLE. Nearly 75% of patients with left TLE, whereas fewer than 10% of those with right TLE, had at least one learning disability. CONCLUSIONS: Seizure onset in the language-dominant hemisphere, as compared with the nondominant hemisphere, was associated with higher rates of specific learning disabilities and a history of poor literacy or career development or both. These results support the potential clinical benefits of using lateralization of seizure onset as a predictor of the risk of learning disabilities that, once evaluated, could be accommodated to increase the participation of patients with epilepsy in work and educational settings.

Adult↗

Cortical and hippocampal volume deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy.

PURPOSE: To use quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to examine the extent of volume abnormalities in the hippocampus and in extrahippocampal brain regions in localization-related epilepsy of temporal lobe origin (TLE). METHODS: Hippocampal, temporal lobe, and extratemporal lobe volumes were examined with 3-mm spin-echo coronal MRI scans in patients with unilateral TLE who were candidates for temporal lobe resection. Measures were adjusted for normal variation due to intracranial volume and age based on 72 healthy male controls. Group differences between 14 male TLE [7 left TLE (LTLE), 7 right TLE (RTLE)] patients and a subset of 49 age range-matched controls were examined with analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: As compared with controls, patients with TLE had smaller temporal lobe and frontoparietal region gray matter volumes, bilaterally, smaller temporal lobe white matter volumes bilaterally, and larger ventricular volumes. In contrast to these bilateral tissue volume deficits, hippocampal volume deficits in TLE were ipsilateral to the epileptogenic temporal lobe. CONCLUSIONS: Extrahippocampal volume abnormalities were bilateral and occurred in both temporal and extra-temporal cortical regions in TLE, whereas hippocampal deficits were related to the side of the epileptogenic focus. These data suggest that brain abnormalities in TLE are not limited to the epileptogenic region.

Adolescent↗

Remote memory in temporal lobe epilepsy.

PURPOSE: The present study aims at characterizing remote memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); it also considers the impact of its most important variables (lateralization of the lesion, duration of epilepsy, age at onset, and seizure frequency) on remote memory. METHODS: We examined the performance of 38 patients with unilateral TLE (19 right TLE and 19 left TLE) and 35 healthy subjects on six remote memory tasks. Memory for personal events was assessed by using the Autobiographical Memory Interview and the Modified Crovitz Test. Memory for public events was evaluated by means of photographs of famous faces and famous scenes, questions about famous events, and the Dead/Alive Test. RESULTS: Both right-TLE and left-TLE groups had impaired memory for autobiographic episodes and public events relative to normal subjects. In contrast, personal semantic memory was preserved. In addition, an effect of laterality was recorded, with right-TLE patients obtaining significantly better scores than left-TLE patients on every test. Duration of epilepsy, age at onset, and seizure frequency did not influence performance on remote memory measures. CONCLUSIONS: The comprehensive neuropsychological study of 38 TLE patients showed that this neurologic condition affects remote memory systems differently. We discuss the different factors that could account for this pattern of performance on the bases of both functional brain organization and memory theories.

Adult↗

Long term effects of refractory temporal lobe epilepsy on cognitive abilities: a cross sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Intractable epilepsy is related to various transient and chronic brain electric and neurochemical disturbances. There is increasing evidence that chronic epilepsy induces secondary neuronal metabolic and structural decline. However, there is no convincing evidence that the cognitive abilities of patients deteriorate with increasing duration of intractable epilepsy. METHODS: To examine whether duration of refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is related to generalised cognitive impairment, psychometric intelligence based on the full scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ, WAIS-R) was determined in 209 patients with unilateral TLE. For analyses of variance (ANOVA) patients were grouped into three categories: <15, 15-30, and >30 years of refractory TLE. RESULTS: An ANOVA and a multiple regression analysis showed that duration of TLE affects FSIQ. Patients with >30 years of TLE performed worse than patients with 15 or 30 years of TLE. The factors side of seizure origin and type of lesion on MRI did not reach significance. A second ANOVA including education as factor showed that in patients with higher educational attainment, the mean FSIQ was stable for a longer duration of TLE than in less educated patients. Retesting 6 months after anterior temporal lobectomy seizure free patients (n=85 of 127) had an higher FSIQ but showed a similar duration effect before and after anterior temporal lobectomy. The variables age at epilepsy onset, education, frequency of interictal epileptiform discharges, frequency of habitual and generalised seizures, serum concentration of antiepileptic drugs, and polypharmacy were statistically controlled. CONCLUSIONS: Psychometric intelligence of patients with a longer duration of refractory TLE were most severely impaired. Consequently, refractory TLE seems to be associated with slow but ongoing cognitive deterioration. It is assumed that epilepsy related noxious events and agents exhaust the compensatory capacity of brain functions. However, as in dementia and Alzheimer's disease, higher educational attainment as an indicator of higher brain reserve might delay the cognitive decline.

Adult↗

The GABBR1 locus and the G1465A variant is not associated with temporal lobe epilepsy preceded by febrile seizures.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphism G1465A in the GABBR1 gene has been suggested as a risk factor for non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); however, this genetic association study has not been independently replicated. We attempted to replicate this study in our cohort of patients with TLE. Furthermore, we also analyzed the coding sequence of this gene and searched for disease-causing mutations. METHODS: We included 120 unrelated individuals with TLE that was preceded by febrile seizures (FS) who did not have any evidence of structural lesions suggesting secondary epilepsy. 66 individuals had positive family history of TLE epilepsy and 54 were sporadic. Each patient was genotyped for the presence of G1465A polymorphism. All exons of the GABBR1 gene were screened by single strand confirmation polymorphism method. Genotypes were compared with two independent matched control groups. RESULTS: We detected two A alleles of the G1465A polymorphism in one homozygous control subject (0.87% of all alleles) and one A allele in a patient with TLE (0.45%, not significant). Other detected polymorphisms in coding regions had similar frequencies in epilepsy patients and control groups. No disease causing mutations in the GABBR1 gene were detected in patients with sporadic or familial TLE. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that TLE preceded by FS is not associated with the polymorphisms or mutations in the GABBR1 gene, including the G1465A polymorphism. The proportion of TLE patients with FS in the original study, reporting this positive association, did not differ between allele A negative and positive cases. Thus, our failure to reproduce this result is likely applicable to all non-lesional TLE epilepsies.

Adult↗

Temporal lobe epilepsy in childhood: clinical, EEG, and neuroimaging findings and syndrome classification in a cohort with new-onset seizures.

Sixty-three children with new-onset temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) underwent extensive clinical, EEG, and neuroimaging investigation as part of a prospective, community-based cohort study of the natural history of TLE in childhood. Complex partial seizures occurred in 94% of the children, and tonic-clonic seizures occurred in 14%. Developmental, behavioral, or learning problems were present in 38%. Eighteen children (29%) had a significant illness/event prior to the onset of TLE, including febrile status epilepticus in seven, meningitis in four, respiratory arrest in two, and head injury in one. Magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography revealed structural abnormalities of the temporal lobe in 24 children (38%), including hippocampal sclerosis (HS) in 13 and tumor in eight. There was a strong association between HS and a history of significant illness/event prior to the onset of TLE (p < 0.001). Analysis of past history and neuroimaging findings led us to propose three etiologically defined subgroups of TLE; developmental TLE (10 children with long-standing, nonprogressive temporal lobe tumors and malformations), TLE with HS/significant antecedents (18 children with HS or a history of a significant illness/event), and cryptogenic TLE (34 children with normal neuroimaging findings and no significant past history). Etiologic differences between children with new-onset TLE may confer prognostic information that will be useful for counselling families and planning treatment.

Anticonvulsants↗

Value of magnetic resonance imaging-based measurements of hippocampal formations in patients with partial epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the occurrence of magnetic resonance imaging-detected hippocampal atrophy (HA) in patients with partial epilepsy (temporal and extratemporal, cryptogenic, or symptomatic). Magnetic resonance imaging-detected HA has been demonstrated to be both sensitive and specific for hippocampal sclerosis in cryptogenic temporal lobe epilepsy. DESIGN: Patients' hippocampal formations were measured on a computerized system using T1-weighted, 5-mm contiguous magnetic resonance coronal images made perpendicular to the hippocampus long axis. Hippocampal atrophy was defined on the basis of a normative asymmetry index and correlated with the epileptogenic focus defined by clinical, electroencephalographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (apart from HA) localizing data. PATIENTS AND CONTROL SUBJECTS: Seventy patients with intractable complex partial seizures of temporal, extratemporal, or undefined origin and 21 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Hippocampal atrophy was present in 70% of patients with cryptogenic temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) (n = 40), 44% of patients with symptomatic TLE (n = 9), 29% of patients with extratemporal epilepsy (n = 14), and 6% of unclassified patients (n = 16). In the cryptogenic TLE category, HA was marked and usually concordant (93%) with electroencephalographic lateralization. Hippocampal atrophy was often mild in the extratemporal epilepsy category. With the use of a wider confidence interval (+/- 3.1 SD instead of +/- 2.2 SD), HA specificity for TLE increased to 93%, HA specificity for lateralizing cryptogenic TLE reached 96%, and HA sensitivity for cryptogenic TLE stood almost unchanged (68%). We found a link between early convulsions and HA occurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal atrophy is a marker for TLE. Dual pathologic findings are detected in 44% of symptomatic TLE cases. Mild HA is rarely associated with extratemporal epilepsy. Magnetic resonance imaging-based hippocampal volumetric analysis is a useful method to localize the origin of partial complex seizures.

Adult↗

Molecular profiling of temporal lobe epilepsy: comparison of data from human tissue samples and animal models.

The advent of gene chip technology and the era of functional genomics have initially been accompanied by huge anticipations to quickly unravel the molecular pathogenesis of multifactorial diseases. Expectations have, today, given way to some concerns about this non-hypothesis driven approach. However, the careful and controlled application of expression microarrays in concert with refined bioinformatic tools may provide novel insights in major disorders particularly of highly complex organs such as the central nervous system (CNS). Epilepsies are among the most frequent CNS disorders affecting approximately 1.5% of the population worldwide. In temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the seizure origin typically involves the hippocampal formation, a structure located in the mesial temporal lobe. Many TLE patients develop pharmacoresistance, i.e. seizures can no more be controlled by antiepileptic drugs. In order to achieve seizure control, surgical removal of the epileptogenic focus has been established as successful therapeutic strategy. Hippocampal biopsy tissue of pharmacoresistant TLE patients represents an excellent substrate to analyze molecular mechanisms related to structural and cellular reorganization in epilepsy. The complexity of alterations in TLE hippocampi suggests numerous genes and signaling cascades to be involved in the pathogenesis. By microarrays, genome wide expression profiles can be constituted from TLE tissues. However, hippocampi of pharmacoresistant TLE patients represent an advanced stage of the disease. Early stages of epilepsy development are not available for functional genome analysis in humans. Animal models of TLE appear particularly helpful to study molecular mechanisms of highly dynamic processes such as the development of hyperexcitability and pharmacoresistance. In this review, we summarize recent data of gene expression profiles in human and experimental TLE and discuss the relevance of novel tools for bioinformatic analysis and data mining.

Animals↗

Neural correlates of verbal semantic memory in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Functional imaging data suggest that the core network engaged in verbal semantic memory (SM) processing encompasses frontal and temporal lobe structures, with a strong left lateralization in normal right handers. The impact of long term temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) on this network has only partly been elucidated. We studied verbal SM in 50 patients with chronic, intractable TLE (left TLE=26, right TLE=24) and 35 right handed normal controls using a verbal fMRI semantic decision paradigm. All patients had language lateralized to the left hemisphere, as verified by the intracarotid amobarbital procedure. Within and between group analyses showed remarkable, group-specific activation profiles. The control group activated frontal and temporal areas bilaterally, with a strong left predominance. Left TLE patients showed a shift of activations of left frontal and medial temporal areas to homologous regions in the right hemisphere. Furthermore, left TLE subjects utilized subcortical structures such as the thalamus and putamen to accomplish the verbal SM task. Contrastively, the activation pattern of right TLE patients resembled that of normal controls, but exhibited "hypofrontality" with a shift from frontal to posterior regions in the temporal, parietal and occipital lobe. Our results show that chronic epileptic activity originating from temporal seizure foci is associated with an alteration of neural circuits which support semantic language processing and that side of seizure focus has a specific impact on the resulting activation network. These findings presumably result from morphological changes and from functional reorganization which are both inherent to chronic TLE.

Adult↗

Cognitive-metabolic relationship in temporal lobe epilepsy: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the current literature on neurometabolic dysfunction identified through brain imaging and its cognitive correlates in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). BACKGROUND: Cognitive decline contributes to chronic disability in TLE. The pathophysiology of cognitive decline in TLE is poorly understood, limiting therapeutic advances. Characterizing metabolic changes in patients with TLE and cognitive impairment may identify biomarkers and inform new treatment strategies. DESIGN/METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of five major databases, gathering studies published through December 2024, in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We included all observational studies describing associations between metabolic imaging findings and cognitive measures in TLE. RESULTS: Of 1449 reports, 38 met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 1161 patients with TLE aged 5-66&#xa0;years. Twenty-two studies applied fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) to assess interictal brain glucose metabolism. Two studies utilized PET with other tracers to assess more specific metabolic aspects. Fourteen studies used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to quantify local concentrations of brain metabolites. Impairment of verbal memory was consistently associated with left temporal lobe metabolite changes. Non-memory cognitive impairments correlated with changes in glucose metabolism, N-acetylaspartate, and gamma-aminobutyrate in both temporal and extratemporal areas. CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG PET remains the most widely used imaging modality to assess cognitive-metabolic correlates in TLE, while other PET tracers and 1H-MRS are potentially underexplored. Verbal memory impairment correlates robustly with left temporal dysmetabolism. Cognitive impairment in TLE is multifaceted and correlates with measurable changes in metabolism in both temporal and extratemporal regions. While our synthesis was restricted by some methodological limitations, these neurometabolic signatures may hold promise as potential biomarkers for identifying risk of cognitive decline and highlight avenues for future research.

Humans↗

Clinical features and surgical outcome of medial temporal lobe epilepsy with a history of complex febrile convulsions.

PURPOSE: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is frequently associated with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and complex febrile convulsions (CFC). The causal relationship between TLE, HS, and CFC is unclear. There is also contradictory data whether CFC-associated TLE is a distinct epilepsy syndrome and has different surgical outcome than other medial TLEs. METHODS: We investigated 133 patients (aged 16-59 years) with HS-associated TLE. Thirty-six patients with CFC (CFC group) versus 97 patients without febrile convulsions (NFC group) were compared for clinical history, video-EEG recorded seizure semiology, and surgical outcome. RESULTS: In the CFC group the right-sided HS (67% versus 32%) occurred more frequently than in the NFC group (P<0.001). The two groups did not differ according to the clinical features, both groups share the typical symptoms and findings of the medial TLE. In the CFC group, seizure-freedom 2 years after surgery was 91%, while in the NFC group it was only 64% (P=0.023). This difference was significant even after considering the other known predictive factors for medial TLE. CONCLUSIONS: Medial TLE with CFC is not a distinct epilepsy syndrome. The surgical outcome, however, is much more favorable in these patients in comparison with medial TLE patients who had no history of febrile convulsions.

Adolescent↗

Coagulant thrombin-like enzymes from the venoms of Brazilian and Peruvian bushmaster (Lachesis muta muta) snakes.

Two isoforms of a thrombin-like enzyme designated TLE-B and TLE-P were purified from the venoms of Lachesis muta muta (bushmaster) snakes captured in two different geographical localities, Manaus (Brazil) and Pucallpa (Perú). TLE-B and TLE-P showed Mr values of 44000 and 43000 under reducing conditions on SDS-PAGE, which decreased to 27000 after deglycosylation with N-glycosidase F (PNGase F). The purified proteinases split off fibrinopeptide A rapidly from human fibrinogen and fibrinopeptide B more slowly. In addition, both enzymes released the N-terminal peptide (Mr=4572) containing the first 42 residues from the Bbeta-chain. Their specific clotting activities were equivalent to 1000 and 900 NIH thrombin units/mg on human fibrinogen and 526 and 606 NIH thrombin units/mg on bovine fibrinogen for TLE-B and TLE-P, respectively. Kinetic properties of these enzymes were determined using representative chromogenic substrates. Tryptic peptide mapping of the two native enzymes suggested a large degree of structural similarity. Purified rabbit IgG against TLE-B reacted with both enzymes forming a continuous precipitin line on immunodiffusion. Furthermore, Western blot and indirect ELISA were used to compare the antigenic cross-reactivity for both enzymes as well as the venoms of L. muta muta and Bothrops snakes. Incubation of human alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2-M) with each enzyme at molar ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:4 enzyme:inhibitor resulted in retarding their clotting activities by approximately 12 times, whereas their amidolytic activities were not affected. However, the Mr 180000 subunits of alpha2-M were not cleaved by these enzymes, suggesting that alpha2-M inhibits TLEs by steric hindrance. Similarly, inhibitions of their clotting activities were obtained using high concentrations of rabbit IgG (40 microg, corresponding to molar ratio enzyme:inhibitor of 1:2) against TLE-B.

Animals↗

On the relationship between germinal layer haemorrhage and telencephalic leucoencephalopathy in the preterm infant.

The brains of 54 deceased preterm infants were retrospectively studied for signs of germinal layer haemorrhage (GLH) and telencephalic leucoencephalopathy (TLE). On the basis of presence or absence of iron laden macrophages (siderophages) the cases with germinal layer haemorrhage were sub-classified as either "old" or "fresh" haemorrhage. Cases without GLH (non-GLH) were used as a control group. The distribution of ages at death in the non-GLH group was such that comparison to both fresh GLH cases and old GLH cases was possible. The distribution of pregnancy duration in GLH and non-GLH cases was similar. Statistical evaluation showed that old GLH cases were more often associated with TLE as either fresh GLH or non-GLH cases. By comparison of the three groups it is shown that differences in age at death do not explain the higher incidence of TLE in the old GLH group compared to the fresh GLH group. Hydrocephalus was found in the majority of old GLH cases. From a neuropathological view this complication is unlikely to account for the excess of TLE-lesions in that group. A logic explanation of the findings in this study is that the association between GLH and TLE is due to a common origin: asphyxia. The relatively low incidence of TLE in fresh GLH cases may be due to early death precluding detection of TLE. It is advocated that studies on GLH or TLE be comprehensively based on both phenomena to further the understanding on how they contribute to death or handicap.

Asphyxia Neonatorum↗

The clinical-pathogenic mechanisms of hippocampal neuron loss and surgical outcomes in temporal lobe epilepsy.

A retrospective study was carried out to determine whether a prior cerebral injury or medical illness was associated with hippocampal sclerosis in intractable, surgically treated temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), or whether there was evidence for progressive hippocampal neuron damage from repeated seizures. Temporal lobe epilepsy patients (n = 162) from one epilepsy centre were retrospectively and blindly catalogued into groups based on the presence or absence of an initial precipitating injury (IPI) and whether, when an IPI was present, it had involved seizures (independent variables). Patients were catalogued into four groups: (i) non-seizure IPIs (Group A; n = 54); (ii) IPIs with a prolonged seizure (Group B; n = 66); (iii) IPIs with repetitive non-prolonged seizures (Group C; n = 20); (iv) or no IPIs and idiopathic TLE (Group D; n = 22). The dependent variables were: the differences in the time course of clinical seizures, and quantified hippocampal neuron counts and seizure outcomes. Statistically significant (ANOVA at least P < 0.05) results showed the following. (i) Patients with IPIs (Groups A, B and C) had hippocampal sclerosis, while those with idiopathic TLE (Group D) showed fewer neuron losses and worse post-resection seizure relief. (ii) Patients with non-seizure IPIs (Group A) were on average older at injury; had a longer latent period; showed less neuron losses in Ammon's horn, CA1 and prosubiculum than seizure associated IPIs (Groups B and/or C). (iii) Initial precipitating injury patients with repetitive non-prolonged seizures (Group C) showed the shortest latent period, earliest age of TLE onset, and less CA2 damage than the other IPI groups. Other findings that were statistically significant by analysis of covariance along with the IPI category included the following. (i) CA1 (P = 0.0097) and prosubiculum (P = 0.0089) neuron losses were greater in patients when their TLE was longer than 22 years. (ii) IPIs after age 4 years were associated with latent periods shorter than 10 years compared with variable and longer latent periods of IPIs before age 4 years (P = 0.0015). These results indicate that in surgically treated TLE, hippocampal sclerosis and good seizure outcomes are associated with IPIs. Most of the hippocampal damage found at surgery and the clinical time course of the habitual TLE are influenced by the pathogenic IPI mechanism. However, some secondary neuron losses were associated with longer TLE seizure histories.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Analysis of shape and positioning of the hippocampal formation: an MRI study in patients with partial epilepsy and healthy controls.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate systematically shape and positioning of the hippocampal formation (HF) in patients with partial epilepsy related to malformations of cortical development (MCD) and those with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). We studied 76 patients with MCD, including focal cortical dysplasia (n = 29; lesions located outside the temporal lobe in all), heterotopia (lesions outside of the temporal lobe, n = 14; lesions extending into the temporal lobe, n = 16), polymicrogyria (bilateral perisylvian, n = 14; unilateral perisylvian, n = 3) and 30 patients with TLE (hippocampal atrophy, n = 15; normal hippocampal volumes, n = 15). Shape and positioning of the HF were evaluated using a set of eight predefined morphological characteristics. In addition, the degree of hippocampal vertical orientation and medial positioning were assessed quantitatively. Patients were compared with 50 healthy controls. At least three criteria describing abnormal HF shape and positioning were found in 5/50 (10%) healthy controls, 37/76 (49%) MCD and 13/30 (43%) TLE patients. An association with all criteria was found in MCD and TLE, but not in healthy controls. In MCD there was no association between the side of HF shape abnormalities and the side of the cortical malformation or the EEG focus. Likewise, in TLE, HF abnormalities were not related to the side of the EEG focus. In both MCD and TLE patients who had hippocampal atrophy, no association was found between the side of HF shape abnormalities and the side of atrophy. Abnormal HF shape and positioning are found in a similar proportion in MCD and TLE. In TLE, they may be a marker of a more extensive disorder of brain development and may participate in the development of this condition.

Adolescent↗

MRI of amygdala and hippocampus in temporal lobe epilepsy.

In this study we compared the results of qualitative visual analysis of MRI with volumetric studies of the amygdala (AM) and hippocampal formation (HF) in a group of 31 patients. Twenty-six patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and six with non-TLE had MRI studies using a 1.5 T Gyroscan following a specific protocol for scan acquisition. The MR images were interpreted by two blinded radiologists and by a third if discrepancy arose. Volumetric studies were carried out by one or two raters. The volumetric measurements of AM and HF were accurate in lateralizing the epileptogenic area in patients with TLE, concordant with the EEG in 92%; there was no false lateralization. In those patients who underwent surgery, there was a correlation between the degree of mesial temporal sclerosis demonstrated by histopathology, the amount of volume reduction, and the asymmetry. In patients with non-TLE, there was no volume asymmetry of AM or HF. The MR qualitative assessment yielded positive lateralization in patients with TLE in 56%, conflicting lateralization in 20%, and lateralization contralateral to the focus in 12%. A hyperintense signal in mesial structures was found ipsilateral to the focus in 40% and contralateral in 12% of patients with TLE. Volumetric study improves the diagnostic yield of MRI evaluation in patients with TLE not related to gross structural lesions. The interrater variability is low and the data are accurate and reproducible. Because they are quantitative, volumetric studies permit better comparison of results in different subgroups of patients with TLE.

Adolescent↗

Correlation of temporal lobe glucose metabolism with the Wada memory test.

PURPOSE: The goal of the present study was to examine the relationship of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and the Wada memory test in lateralizing memory dominance and epileptic focus. METHODS: FDG-PET and the Wada test were performed in 18 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The asymmetry indices of FDG-PET (PET-AI) were calculated in mesial, polar, anterolateral, midlateral, and posterolateral regions of the temporal lobe, and those of Wada memory test (Wada-AI) were obtained as well. RESULTS: The Wada-AI was significantly correlated with PET-AI in mesial (r = 0.67, p = 0.003), polar (r = 0.55, p = 0.019), anterolateral (r = 0.55, p = 0.019), and midlateral (r = 0.51, p = 0.031) regions of the temporal lobe. However, after a linear regression analysis, PET-AI of only the mesial temporal region was significantly correlated with Wada-AI (p = 0.008). Wada-AI could correctly lateralize the seizure focus in 90% of the left TLE and 75% of the right TLE patients. The PET-AI of the mesial temporal region showed the highest sensitivity of seizure lateralization (80% of left TLE and 87.5% of right TLE). PET-AI of other temporal regions had lower sensitivities (50-80% of left TLE, 20-75% of right TLE). One or two patients showed false seizure lateralization by PET-AI on each temporal region. CONCLUSIONS: Although FDG-PET hypometabolism is observed at both mesial and lateral regions of the temporal lobe in mesial TLE, mesial temporal region appeared to be a dominant and leading area for lateralizing Wada memory dominance and epileptic focus.

Adolescent↗