Accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) is a relatively newly identified phenomenon in neuropsychology which has been associated with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). ALF is characterised by intact acquisition and retention of memories over delays of minutes and hours, but abnormally fast forgetting over delays of 24h or more. The causes of ALF are unknown; however disruption of "slow" consolidation processes through seizure activity in the temporal lobes is proposed as a possible explanation. We looked to establish whether seizure control following epilepsy surgery ameliorated ALF in patients with TLE. Parallel sets of verbal and visual stimuli were administered comparing seven TLE patients and 25 healthy controls, matched on key demographic characteristics. Free recall and recognition were assessed at both pre-surgery/time 1 and post-surgery/time 2 at delays of 25 or 45 s, 30 min and one week. The TLE group retained significantly less verbally and visually learned material between 30 min and one week at the pre-surgery assessment than the control group. Comparison of the groups at post-surgery assessment indicated evidence of improved retention in the TLE group for both visual and verbal material, despite reduced initial registration on the verbal sub-tests. Exploratory analysis of individuals indicated heterogeneity in the patient group with regards to the presence/absence of ALF and post-surgical improvement in ALF. The findings offer some support to the theory that ALF is associated with uncontrolled seizures and that elimination of seizures via epilepsy surgery may improve retention by providing a stable environment for "slow" consolidation to occur. However, our results suggest that this is unlikely to be the sole cause and that "slow" consolidation may normally depend also on the integrity of structures within the neocortex or medial temporal lobes. Further investigation of these apparent heterogeneous groups may be informative in further defining the nature and causes of ALF.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.11.007 | DOI Listing |
Transplant Proc
January 2025
Neurology Service, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (ISMETT) - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Palermo, Italy.
Background: After encephalopathy, epileptic seizures (ES) are the second most common neurologic complication after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and may announce a disabling/fatal neurologic disease.
Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected clinical information from patients who underwent OLT at our institution and analyzed outcomes and potential risk factors for developing ES after OLT.
Results: Fourteen of our 376 patients (3.
Neurophotonics
January 2025
Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Neurological Surgery, New York, United States.
Significance: Despite the availability of various anti-seizure medications, nearly 1/3 of epilepsy patients experience drug-resistant seizures. These patients are left with invasive surgical options that do not guarantee seizure remission. The development of novel treatment options depends on elucidating the complex biology of seizures and brain networks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpilepsia
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Neurocritical Care, and Neurorehabilitation, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Member of European Reference Network EpiCARE, Christian Doppler University Hospital, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Objective: People with epilepsy (PWEs) often face difficulties in obtaining or keeping employment. To determine the views on this topic of the heads of human resources (HHRs) and occupational physicians (OCPs).
Method: Twelve HHRs and five OCPs underwent a telephone interview concerning the opportunities and limitations of job applications for PWEs.
Acta Neurochir (Wien)
January 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Purpose: In resective epilepsy surgery for drug-resistant focal epilepsy (DRE), good seizure outcome is strongly associated with visualization of an epileptogenic lesion on MRI. Standard clinical MRI (≤ 3 Tesla (T)) may fail to detect subtle lesions. 7T MRI enhances detection and delineation, the potential benefits of increasing field strength to 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrphanet J Rare Dis
January 2025
Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.
Background: Sturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS) is a rare, sporadic neurocutaneous disorder affecting the skin, brain, and eyes, due to somatic activating mutations in GNAQ or, less commonly, GNA11 gene. It is characterized by at least two of the following features: a facial capillary malformation, leptomeningeal vascular malformation, and ocular involvement. The spectrum of clinical manifestations includes headache, seizures, stroke-like events, intellectual disability, glaucoma, facial asymmetry, gingival hyperplasia, etc.
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