A neuropsychological study of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and chronic interictal psychosis

PURPOSE: To characterize the pattern of cognitive deficits in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and interictal (schizophrenia-like) psychosis and to examine the relationship between neuropsychological deficits and Magnetization transfer imaging. METHODS: Twenty patients with TLE and interictal psychosis were compared to 20 non-psychotic TLE patients. Patients were matched with respect to premorbid IQ, age and conventional MRI findings. A battery of neuropsychological tests was administered. The neuropsychological tests which showed significant group differences were used for correlational analysis with magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) which provides a quantitative measure of macromolecular structural integrity. RESULTS: Patients with interictal psychosis were significantly more impaired on executive and semantic memory tasks than the non-psychotic TLE group. Vocabulary test scores correlated significantly with MTR reduction in the left fusiform gyrus in the psychotic but not the non-psychotic group. DISCUSSION: In this study, patients with TLE and interictal psychosis were more cognitively impaired than non-psychotic TLE patients. Our findings suggest that the cognitive deterioration in these patients may occur as the illness progresses and the causes for this are probably multifactorial. Our study also provides further evidence that MTR may be useful in investigating structural correlates of cognitive impairment.     

Running down phenomenon and acute interictal psychosis in medial temporal lobe epilepsy

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between presurgical acute interictal psychosis and postsurgical running down phenomenon in a strictly homogeneous group with medial temporal lobe epilepsy. METHODS: Forty patients with mesial temporal sclerosis and an ultimate excellent surgical outcome, were divided into running down positive and negative groups. Various clinical and laboratory data, including presurgical psychotic episodes, were analyzed in the two groups. RESULTS: Patients in the running down positive group exhibited a significantly high incidence of presurgical history of acute interictal psychosis. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that areas of secondary epileptogenesis beyond the scope of the primary epileptogenic zone, suggested by postsurgical running down phenomenon, may play an important role in the blockage and shift of the habitual propagation of seizure activity from the primary epileptogenic zone, to which Wolf attributed acute interictal psychosis.     

颞叶新皮层癫痫的外科治疗（附42例病例分析）

目的研究颞叶新皮层癫痫外科治疗的临床相关问题。方法42例病人术前均经128导视频EEG及MRI检查,MRI阴性者进一步行SPECT检查;对于术前无创检查难以确定致痫灶者行硬膜下电极埋藏纪录;术中利用ECoG进一步明确致痫灶的范围后进行个体化治疗。结果①本组资料中,术前MRI的病理灶定位与128导视频EEG的致痫灶定侧高度一致(P<0.05);②MRI阳性的35例中有25例致痫灶位于病灶附近,MRI阴性7例者的SPECT与术中ECoG结果完全一致;③参照Engel标准,本组病例平均随访3.6±1.1年,总有效率为88.10%,其中Ⅰ级占71.43%,Ⅱ级占16.67%;④致痫灶处理的手术方式与预后密切相关(P<0.05)。结论①颞叶新皮层癫痫的术前定位应综合考虑方可决定手术方案;②明确致痫灶仅限于颞叶新皮层时,手术不必涉及到颞叶内侧面结构,以防增加病人的致残率。     

颞叶癫痫的手术治疗(附34例分析)

目的　探讨颞叶癫痫的术前评估和术式选择策略。方法　对 34例颞叶癫痫患者应用无创和有创方法进行术前综合评估 ,采用扩大额颞问号式手术切口 ,经外侧裂入路、皮层脑电监测引导下实施手术。对术前评估方法、术中脑电监测的意义和手术方式选择进行了分析。结果　 2 1例患者根据长程蝶骨电极脑电图和MRI等无创检查定位了致痫灶 ,13例根据颅内埋置电极脑电图定位了致痫灶。术后随访 15 .6± 6 .0月。 2 9例 (85 .3% )癫痫发作消失 ,3例 (8.8% )发作减少 75 % ,2例 (5 .9% )发作减少 5 0 %以上。 8例曾出现短期并发症 ,无永久性并发症发生。手术 6个月后 ,患者的日常生活能力评分与手术前相比明显改善 (P <0 .0 5 )。结论　长程视频脑电图和MRI检查是颞叶癫痫致痫灶定位可靠的无创性检查方法 ;颅内埋置电极检查是术前准确定位致痫灶必要的手段。颅内电极脑电图监测对设计切除方式有重要参考价值 ;改良的手术切口和经外侧裂入路有利于安全有效的切除前颞叶或选择性切除颞叶内侧结构     

难治性颞叶癫(癎)的手术治疗

目的 探讨难治性颞叶癫(癎)的手术疗效.方法 回顾性分析2003年7月至2007年2月我科手术治疗的72例难治性颞叶癫(癎)患者临床资料.结果 按我国谭氏标准,满意:59例;显著改善:2例;良好:3例;效差:2例;无改善:5例;死亡:1例.结论 手术治疗难治性颞叶癫(癎)疗效确切可靠,在有条件的医院可推广.     

Cortical abnormalities and their cognitive correlates in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and interictal psychosis

Purpose: To determine whether cortical abnormalities are more severe and widespread in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and interictal psychosis (IP) compared to those with TLE only (NIP) and healthy controls (HC), and to explore the associations between cortical parameters (area, thickness and volume), psychotic symptoms, and cognitive performance. Methods: Twenty‐two patients with IP (9 male; 10 hippocampal sclerosis, HS), 23 TLE nonpsychotic (NIP) patients (11 male; 13 HS) matched for duration of epilepsy and 20 HC participated. Surface‐based morphometry (SBM) was used to measure cortical parameters. Cognition was examined in IP and NIP patients. Associations between cortical parameters and cognition were examined using linear mixed models adjusted by age, gender, and brain volume. Key Findings: IP patients had an earlier onset of epilepsy, more status epilepticus, and worse cognitive performance than NIP patients. In IP patients, cortical thickness was reduced in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and their current IQ was associated with decreases in area, but not thickness, in regions of the frontotemporal cortex. Significance: IP likely reflects the interplay of psychosis‐related genetic factors and the cumulative effects of seizure activity on the brain. Cortical thinning in the IFG, a region implicated in schizophrenia, is likely to be related to seizure activity, whereas changes in IQ, associated with reductions in area of frontotemporal cortex, may be related to the presence of psychosis.     

颞叶新皮质癫痫手术的疗效分析

目的分析总结颞叶新皮质癫痫患者临床特征、术前评估、手术方法和疗效。方法对36例颞叶新皮质癫痫行神经电生理、MRI,正电子发射计算断层显像计算机体层扫描（PET—CT）定位,术中皮层电极和深部电极描记,联合采用不同术式以及术后随访6个月至2年的疗效观察。结果疗效按谭启富的标准分类：Ⅰ级12例,Ⅱ级11例,Ⅲ级8例,Ⅳ级5例,Ⅴ级0例。病理报告：胶质增生23例;微小血管畸形5例;灰质异位1例,无异常发现7例。无手术致残和死亡。结论联合采取不同术式,如：行海马及杏仁核部分切除,对颞叶新皮质癫痫可达到良好的治疗效果,且无严重手术并发症。     

A magnetization transfer imaging study in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and interictal psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Findings from previous neuropathological and neuroimaging studies in patients with epilepsy and interictal psychosis have been inconclusive, and both focal and widespread brain abnormalities have been reported. Thus, further investigation with advanced in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, such as magnetization transfer imaging, capable of detecting more subtle brain abnormalities, is warranted. METHODS: Twenty patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and interictal psychosis were compared with 20 nonpsychotic patients. Patients were matched with respect to conventional MRI findings. Each group comprised of 10 patients with hippocampal sclerosis (6 left, 4 right) and 10 patients without focal lesions on MRI. A voxel-based analysis was used for the group comparisons. RESULTS: Voxel-based analysis revealed significant reductions of magnetization transfer ratio (an index of signal loss derived from magnetization transfer imaging) in the left superior and middle temporal gyri in the psychotic patients for the subgroup of patients with no focal lesions on MRI. There were no significant volumetric differences between the psychotic and nonpsychotic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Focal cortical magnetization transfer ratio abnormalities in the left temporal lobe unrelated to volume changes can be demonstrated in some temporal lobe epilepsy patients with interictal psychosis. Our findings might reflect subtle neuropathological abnormalities that are undetected by conventional MRI.     

A case of psychosis with temporal lobe epilepsy: SPECT changes with treatment

An 8-year-old male was referred to the child psychiatry department because of vivid visual and auditory hallucinations, including multiple voices talking to each other, and loss of consciousness. Magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed cortical dysgenesis in the left inferior frontal cortex and adjacent subcortical structures. Single-photon emission computed tomography imaging revealed left temporal hypoperfusion. Risperidone therapy was initiated because there was no remission after carbamazepine and sodium valproate treatment. After risperidone treatment, symptoms remitted. A control single-photon emission computed tomography study indicated that the left temporal hypoperfusion was normalized. After discontinuation of risperidone, symptoms returned, and electroencephalography revealed generalized slow-wave activity particularly prominent in the left temporal region. To our knowledge, this is one of the first reports of cerebral blood flow changes in a pediatric patient with psychosis after treatment.     

Significance of interictal bilateral temporal hypometabolism in temporal lobe epilepsy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical implications and the pathophysiologic determinants of interictal bitemporal hypometabolism (BTH) in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) not associated with bilateral MRI abnormalities or intracranial space-occupying lesions. METHODS: The authors compared the clinical, interictal, and ictal EEG, Wada test, and neuropsychology data of 15 patients with intractable complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin and BTH with those of 13 consecutive patients with unilateral TLE associated with unilateral temporal hypometabolism (UTH) who remained seizure free for more than 3 years after anterior temporal lobectomy. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET scans were analyzed visually and semiquantitatively, and ratios of counts in individual temporal areas to the rest of the cerebrum were compared with the corresponding values from 11 normal control subjects and with the nonepileptogenic hemisphere of the 13 patients with UTH. BTH was defined as more than 2.5 SDs below control values for two or more temporal areas on each side irrespective of any asymmetry. RESULTS: BTH reflected bilateral independent seizure onset in eight patients (53%). The topography of the metabolic depression was not a reliable predictor of epileptogenicity, but involvement of the inferior temporal gyrus was related specifically to ipsilateral seizure onset (70% sensitivity, 100% specificity). In patients with unilateral TLE, contralateral hypometabolism was associated with longer disease duration and worst memory performance during the Wada test, which amounted to global amnesia after ipsilateral injection in three patients, precluding surgical treatment. Contralateral seizure spread in the ictal EEG was significantly faster in patients with BTH. CONCLUSIONS: In TLE, symmetric or asymmetric BTH may signal bilateral independent seizure onset in approximately half the patients, especially when involving the inferior temporal gyrus. Alternatively, it may reflect an advanced stage of the disease process, characterized by a breakdown of the inhibitory mechanisms in the contralateral hemisphere, and secondary memory deficit associated with higher risk of postoperative memory decline. Patients with TLE and BTH but without bilateral MRI changes may still be operated on successfully, but surgical suitability should be proved by comprehensive intracranial EEG studies and Wada test.     

Postictal psychosis in temporal lobe epilepsy

PURPOSE: Postictal psychosis is a well-known complication, occurring especially in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. It usually runs a benign course. The literature on this topic is sparse, and the underlying pathogenic mechanisms are not known. METHODS: We report five patients with temporal lobe epilepsy in whom postictal psychosis developed during the course of video-EEG monitoring; they were studied with hexamethyl-propyleneamine-oxime single-photon emission computed tomography (HMPAO-SPECT) during and after the psychotic event. RESULTS: In comparison to the interictal state, all SPECT scans obtained during postictal psychosis were remarkable for bifrontal and bitemporal hyperperfusion patterns. Some studies also demonstrated unilateral left lateral frontal hyperperfusion. These cortical blood-flow patterns appeared to be distinct from those obtained during complex partial seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that postictal psychoses in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy are associated with hyperactivation of both temporal and frontal lobe structures. This hyperperfusion may reflect ongoing (subcortical) discharges, active inhibitory mechanisms that terminate the seizure, or simply a dysregulation of cerebral blood flow.     

颞叶占位性病变伴癫痫患者的手术治疗研究

目的探讨颞叶占位性病变伴癫痫患者手术治疗的疗效,分析多种致痫灶定位技术的联合应用对手术疗效的影响。方法回顾性分析31例颞叶占位性病变伴癫痫患者术前脑电图及术后随访资料,其中囊性占位7例,海绵状血管瘤6例,胶质瘤16例,其他病变2例;应用MRI、视频脑电图、脑磁图行致痫灶定位,术中应用皮质脑电图再次精确致痫灶范围后行前颞叶联合海马切除术,术后随访评估疗效。结果长程VEEG监测中,20例患者均有惯常发作和发作间期痫样放电,14例(14/20)患者发作间期痫样放电位于单侧颞叶及海马区,其中合并同侧额区放电5例。6例(6/20)患者发作间期放电位于双侧颞叶,其中合并单侧额区放电2例。8例(8/20)起源于左侧颞叶及海马区,12例(12/20)起源于右侧。MEG检查20例患者发作间歇期皆有痫样放电,检出率为100%,17例(17/20)患者单侧颞叶放电,其中合并同侧额区放电8例;3例(3/20)患者双颞放电。术后随访12~24个月:16例患者Ⅰ级,3例Ⅱ级,1例Ⅲ级,手术有效率100%,效果良好率95%。结论颞叶占位性病变伴癫痫患者的手术治疗疗效好,多种致痫灶定位技术的联合应用可提高手术疗效并有效减少术后并发症。     

Ictal fear in temporal lobe epilepsy: Association with interictal behavioral changes

We studied 40 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy to determine if ictal fear was associated with changes in cognition, personality, or psychopathology. Patients with ictal fear scored higher (p < 0.10) than those without ictal fear on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Social Introversion and Psychasthenia subscales, MMPI-derived scales including depression, poor morale, and delinquency and on the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale. These differences were not even marginally significant with Bonferoni correction for multiple comparisons. No differences were found between these groups in the Temporal Lobe (Bear-Fedio) Questionnaire, Buss-Durkey Hostility Inventory, or history of psychiatric hospitalization. However, a history of paranoid psychosis and anxiety disorder, as well as current treatment with a neuroleptic medication, were more common in patients with ictal fear. This study provides limited support for the thesis that ictal fear is associated with behavioral changes in epilepsy, particularly symptoms of anxiety, introversion, and paranoia.     

The interictal behavior syndrome of temporal lobe epilepsy.

A distinct syndrome of interictal behavior changes occurs in many patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. These changes include alterations in sexual behavior, religiosity, and a tendency toward extensive, and in some cases compulsive, writing and drawing. The concomitants of abnormal limbic acitivity therefore include behavior alterations as well as manifest seizures. The demonstration of interictal spike activity in temporal structures provides a pathophysiologic basis for this syndrome. The constellation of behavioral changes may be of great diagnostic value. In addition, it provides an example of a human behavioral syndrome assocaited with dysfunction at specific anatomic loci. The behavior syndrome of temporal lobe epilepsy may prove to be a useful model in studies on the neural substrates for behavior.     

Localization of magnetic interictal discharges in temporal lobe epilepsy

Three young adults with intractable complex partial seizures were studied by electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, and electrocorticography. Interictal electroencephalographic (EEG) spikes for each patient were grouped according to their morphological characteristics and distribution across channels. Mapping of simultaneously recorded magnetoencephalographic signals produced dipolar patterns from which the three-dimensional locations of equivalent current dipoles were calculated, whereas the mapping of EEG spikes showed single regions of electronegativity. The magnetic spikes were localized to the anterotemporal lobe, and the EEG spikes were localized somewhat anterior or posterior to the magnetic spikes. The magnetoencephalographic findings corresponded well with intraoperative electrocorticographic and depth-electrode findings of discharging areas located over the lateral temporal lobe and on the basal and mesial surfaces of the temporal cortex.