Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia
Published on: December 2, 2015
Amygdala volume and psychopathology in childhood complex partial seizures
Melita Daley1, Prabha Siddarth, Jennifer Levitt
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1759, USA. mdaley@mednet.ucla.edu
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to compare amygdala volume in children with cryptogenic epilepsy who have complex partial seizures (CPS) with that of age- and gender-matched normal children. The relationship of amygdala volume to seizure variables and presence of psychopathology was also examined in these patients.
Methods:
Twenty-eight children with cryptogenic epilepsy, all of whom had CPS, and gender-matched normal children, all aged 6-16 years, underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1.5T. Tissue was segmented, and total brain volume and amygdala volumes obtained from manual tracings were computed.
Results:
There were no significant differences in amygdala volume between the CPS and normal groups. Within the CPS group, the children with an affective/anxiety disorder had significantly larger left amygdala volumes, as well as greater amygdala asymmetry, compared with those with no psychopathology. Exploring the association between seizure variables and amygdala volume yielded no significant predictors.
Conclusions:
In pediatric CPS, left amygdala involvement may reflect effects of the neuropathology underlying comorbid affective or anxiety disorders on amygdala development rather than effects of ongoing seizures.
Related Concept Videos
Role of Amygdala in Memory
One of the...
Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System
Seizures: Classification
Seizures are typically classified into two main categories: focal and generalized seizures.
Focal Seizures
Focal seizures originate from specific regions of the brain. These seizures are further sub-classified into two types:
Epilepsy ll: Types
Social Anxiety Disorder
Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...

