[New methods for evaluation of memory in temporal lobe epilepsy: a functional imaging approach]

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is usually associated with a specific impairment of memory functions. A reliable assessment of memory function seems therefore a crucial element of the presurgical evaluation for surgery epilepsy, especially for temporal lobectomy. To date, intracarotid amobarbital testing remains the gold standard to evaluate memory before planning surgery in patients with refractory TLE. Functional imaging, either positron emission tomography or functional MRI, holds great promise as a powerful tool in memory evaluation. Preliminary studies, essentially in healthy volunteers, have shown promising results. In the future, functional imaging, combined with other techniques, will certainly contribute to the clinical presurgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy.