Association of white matter diffusion characteristics and cognitive deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy

Publication date: February 2018 Source:Epilepsy & Behavior, Volume 79 Author(s): Raúl Rodríguez-Cruces, Leticia Velázquez-Pérez, Ildefonso Rodríguez-Leyva, Ana Luisa Velasco, David Trejo-Martínez, Héctor Manuel Barragán-Campos, Vicente Camacho-Téllez, Luis Concha Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between cognitive performance and white matter (WM) integrity in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS). Methods We included 26 patients with TLE (10 right, 16 left onset) as well as 24 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and years of education. In addition to quantitative hippocampal volume and transverse relaxation (T2) evaluation, whole-brain WM was analyzed using fractional anisotropy (FA) maps, derived from the diffusion tensor model. Average FA values were obtained from 38 regions of interest (ROI) of the main WM fascicles using an atlas-based approach. All subjects underwent extensive coFignitive assessments, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-IV). Fractional anisotropy was correlated with neuropsychological scores, and group effects were evaluated. Finally, patients were clustered based on their cognitive performance to evaluate if clinical and structural variables relate to specific cognitive profiles. Results Patients had differential alterations in the integrity of the WM dependent on seizure laterality and presence of hippocamp...
Source: Epilepsy and Behavior - Category: Neurology Source Type: research