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Multi-electrode Array Recordings of Human Epileptic Postoperative Cortical Tissue
Published on: October 26, 2014
Reduced extrahippocampal NAA in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy
Susanne G Mueller1, Joyce Suhy, Kenneth D Laxer
1Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Medical Center, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Unit, University of California San Francisco, California 94143-0138, USA.
Epilepsia
|October 9, 2002
Summary
Medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) shows extrahippocampal metabolic changes, including lower N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) in frontal gray and white matter. Volumetric deficits were also observed in nonfrontal gray matter.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Epilepsy Research
- Metabolic Neuroscience
Background:
- Medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is characterized by hippocampal abnormalities.
- Extrahippocampal structural and metabolic changes in mTLE are less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate extrahippocampal metabolic abnormalities in mTLE.
- Utilize magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) with tissue segmentation and volumetry.
Main Methods:
- Performed multislice 1H-MRSI and tissue segmentation on 16 mTLE patients and 12 controls.
- Analyzed metabolite concentrations in frontal and nonfrontal gray and white matter using regression analysis.
- Calculated gray and white matter fractions via segmented images.
Main Results:
- Patients with mTLE exhibited significantly lower N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) in frontal gray and nonfrontal white matter (ipsi- and contralateral) compared to controls.
- No volumetric deficits were found in frontal gray and white matter.
- Significant ipsilateral nonfrontal gray matter volume reduction was observed in mTLE patients.
Conclusions:
- mTLE is associated with widespread extrahippocampal metabolic alterations.
- Volumetric deficits are also present in mTLE, but may not colocalize with metabolic changes.
- These findings highlight the broader impact of mTLE beyond the temporal lobe.
