Does bilingualism increase brain or cognitive reserve in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy?

Objective: Bilingual healthy adults have been shown to exhibit an advantage in executive functioning (EF) that is associated with microstructural changes in white matter (WM) networks. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) often show EF deficits that are associated with WM compromise. In this study, we investigate whether bilingualism can increase cognitive reserve and/or brain reserve in bilingual patients with TLE, mitigating EF impairment and WM compromise.

Multimodal imaging of language reorganization in patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy.

This study explored the relationships among multimodal imaging, clinical features, and language impairment in patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy (LTLE). Fourteen patients with LTLE and 26 controls underwent structural MRI, functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and neuropsychological language tasks. Laterality indices were calculated for each imaging modality and a principal component (PC) was derived from language measures.

Frontolimbic brain networks predict depressive symptoms in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Psychiatric co-morbidities in epilepsy are of great concern. The current study investigated the relative contribution of structural and functional connectivity (FC) between medial temporal (MT) and prefrontal regions in predicting levels of depressive symptoms in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Twenty-one patients with TLE [11 left TLE (LTLE); 10 right TLE (RTLE)] and 20 controls participated.

ERP abnormalities elicited by word repetition in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and amnestic MCI.

Background: Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder caused by FMR1 gene premutations, typically associated with frontal-subcortical type cognitive impairments. High prevalence (~50%) of superimposed Alzheimer׳s pathology has been reported in FMR1 premutation carriers, and standardized neuropsychological tests have not yielded any robust discriminators between FXTAS and Alzheimer׳s disease (AD) dementia. The similarities/differences in memory processes between FXTAS and early AD remain underexplored.

White matter microstructure complements morphometry for predicting verbal memory in epilepsy.

Verbal memory is the most commonly impaired cognitive domain in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Although damage to the hippocampus and adjacent temporal lobe structures is known to contribute to memory impairment, little is known of the relative contributions of white versus gray matter structures, or whether microstructural versus morphometric measures of temporal lobe pathology are stronger predictors of impairment. We evaluate whether measures of temporal lobe pathology derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI; microstructural) versus structural MRI (sMRI; morphometric) contribute the most to memory performances in TLE, after controlling for hippocampal volume (HCV).

Alterations in functional connectivity between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex as a correlate of depressive symptoms in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Depression is a common comorbidity in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) that is thought to have a neurobiological basis. This study investigated the functional connectivity (FC) of medial temporal networks in depression symptomatology of TLE and the relative contribution of structural versus FC measures. Volumetric MRI and functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) were performed on nineteen patients with TLE and 20 controls.

Functional connectivity of the hippocampus in temporal lobe epilepsy: feasibility of a task-regressed seed-based approach.

Objective: Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) has revealed marked network dysfunction in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) compared to healthy controls. However, the nature and the location of these changes have not been fully elucidated nor confirmed by other methodologies. We assessed the presence of hippocampal FC changes in TLE based on the low frequency residuals of task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging data after the removal of task-related activation [i.

The safety of an adenosine A(1)-receptor antagonist, rolofylline, in patients with acute heart failure and renal impairment: findings from PROTECT.

Background: Adenosine exerts actions in multiple organ systems, and adenosine receptors are a therapeutic target in many development programmes.

Objective: The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the safety of rolofylline, an adenosine A(1)-receptor antagonist, in patients with acute heart failure.

Methods: The effect of rolofylline was investigated in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure with impaired renal function.

MRI analysis in temporal lobe epilepsy: cortical thinning and white matter disruptions are related to side of seizure onset.

Purpose: Past studies reported more widespread structural brain abnormalities in patients with left compared to right temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), but the profile of these differences remains unknown. This study investigated the relationship between cortical thinning, white matter compromise, epilepsy variables, and the side of seizure onset, in patients with TLE.

Methods: We performed diffusion tensor imaging tractography and cortical thickness analyses of 18 patients with left TLE (LTLE), 18 patients with right TLE (RTLE), and 36 controls.

fMRI congruous word repetition effects reflect memory variability in normal elderly.

Neural circuits mediating repetition effect for semantically congruous words on functional MRI were investigated in seventeen normal elderly (mean age=70). Participants determined if written words were semantically congruent (50% probability) with spoken statements. Subsequent cued-recall revealed robust explicit memory only for congruous items (83% versus 8% for incongruous).

Subcortical and cerebellar atrophy in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy revealed by automatic segmentation.

Purpose: To determine the validity and utility of using automated subcortical segmentation to identify atrophy of the hippocampus and other subcortical and cerebellar structures in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).

Methods: Volumetric MRIs were obtained on 21 patients with MTLE (11 right, 10 left) and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Labeling of subcortical and cerebellar structures was accomplished using automated reconstruction software (FreeSurfer).

Regional neocortical thinning in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Purpose: To determine the nature and extent of regional cortical thinning in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).

Methods: High-resolution volumetric MRIs were obtained on 21 patients with MTLE and 21 controls. Mean cortical thickness was measured within regions of interest and point-by-point across the neocortex using cortical reconstruction and parcellation software.

A componential analysis of proverb interpretation in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy and temporal lobe epilepsy: relationships with disease-related factors.

The ability to interpret nonliteral, metaphoric language was explored in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and matched control participants, to determine (1) if patients with FLE were impaired in their interpretations relative to those with TLE and controls, and (2) if disease-related variables (e.g., age of seizure onset) predicted performances in either patient group.

Absent event-related potential (ERP) word repetition effects in mild Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: We hypothesized that an ERP word repetition paradigm, which reliably elicits and modulates the P600 and N400 components, would be particularly sensitive to the memory deficits and altered synaptic plasticity in mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). The P600 (a late positive component, or 'LPC'), and the N400, are sensitive indices of memory encoding and semantic processing, respectively.

Methods: We studied 11 patients with mild AD (mean MMSE=22.

Vagus nerve stimulation use and effect in epilepsy: what have we learned?

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for epilepsy has been available in the United States for 8 years. Pivotal randomized, blinded clinical trials leading to FDA approval in patients age 12 and older with refractory partial seizures have not been performed for other age groups or epilepsy syndromes. This practical review takes stock of the current information about VNS use and efficacy in various types of epilepsy.

Discriminating patients with frontal-lobe epilepsy and temporal-lobe epilepsy: utility of a multilevel design fluency test.

Patients with frontal-lobe epilepsy (FLE) or temporal-lobe epilepsy (TLE) and matched control participants were given a design fluency test that assessed nonverbal fluency and switching ability. Patients with FLE generated fewer designs in the switching condition relative to the TLE patients and controls, whereas group differences did not emerge in the basic fluency conditions. When the side of the seizure focus and the presence or absence of a structural lesion were considered in patients with FLE, only those with left-lesional FLE generated fewer designs than controls did in the switching condition.

Response inhibition and set shifting in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy or temporal lobe epilepsy.

Patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and matched controls were administered a test of response inhibition and set shifting (switching) (Color Word Interference Test, CWIT). Patients with FLE were impaired relative to the controls across all conditions of the CWIT, with the FLE patients showing disproportionate impairment in the Inhibition and Inhibition/Switching conditions. In contrast, the TLE patients did not differ from controls.

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.

Reduced sensitivity of the N400 and late positive component to semantic congruity and word repetition in left temporal lobe epilepsy.

We studied 14 patients with well-characterized refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), 7 with right temporal lobe epilepsy (RTE) and 7 with left temporal lobe epilepsy (LTE), on a word repetition ERP experiment. Much prior literature supports the view that patients with left TLE are more likely to develop verbal memory deficits, often attributable to left hippocampal sclerosis. Our main objectives were to test if abnormalities of the N400 or Late Positive Component (LPC, P600) were associated with a left temporal seizure focus, or left temporal lobe dysfunction.