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Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Network Analysis of Foramen Ovale Electrode Recordings in Drug-resistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients
Published on: December 18, 2016
Levetiracetam reduces abnormal network activations in temporal lobe epilepsy
Britta Wandschneider1, Jason Stretton1, Meneka Sidhu1
1From the Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy (B.W., J.S., M.S., M.C., M.S., P.J.T., J.S.D., M.J.K.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London; the MRC Cognition and Brain Science Unit (J.S.), University of Cambridge; the Imaging and Biophysics Department (M.C.), UCL Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK; and the MR Research Center (L.R.K.), Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Levetiracetam (LEV) helps restore normal brain network activity in patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). This epilepsy medication showed a dose-dependent effect, normalizing functional network deactivations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epilepsy Research
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) presents significant challenges in managing cognitive network dysfunctions.
- Understanding the impact of antiepileptic drugs on brain activity is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of levetiracetam (LEV) on cognitive network activations in patients with drug-resistant TLE using functional MRI (fMRI).
- To assess whether LEV normalizes task-related brain activity in verbal and visual-spatial working memory (WM) paradigms.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of fMRI data from 107 patients with drug-resistant TLE (53 left TLE, 54 right TLE).
- Comparison of task-related fMRI activations and deactivations in patients treated with or without LEV.
- Correlation of activation patterns with daily LEV dose in patients on the medication.
Main Results:
- Levetiracetam (LEV) treatment was associated with normalization of functional network deactivations in the temporal lobes during relevant working memory tasks.
- A dose-dependent effect was observed, with lower LEV doses correlating with greater abnormal hippocampal activation in both left and right TLE.
- LEV demonstrated a facilitation of deactivation of mesial temporal structures in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
- Levetiracetam (LEV) is associated with the restoration of normal brain activation patterns in patients with drug-resistant TLE.
- The findings suggest LEV may normalize cognitive network function, but further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm a direct link to drug response.
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