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Cognitive impairment in early onset epilepsy is associated with reduced left thalamic volume

Michael Yoong1, Matthew Hunter2, Jacqueline Stephen3

  • 1Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre, University of Edinburgh, UK; Department of Paediatric Neurology, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK.

Epilepsy & Behavior : E&B
|February 10, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Reduced left thalamic volume in children with early onset epilepsy (CWEOE) is linked to cognitive impairment. This finding may serve as a biomarker for early detection and intervention in affected children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Early onset epilepsy (onset <5 years) can impact cognitive development in children.
  • Thalamic volume abnormalities have been suggested as a potential indicator of neurological dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between reduced thalamic volumes and cognitive impairment in children with early onset epilepsy (CWEOE).

Main Methods:

  • A nested case-control study involving 76 children with newly-diagnosed early onset epilepsy and 14 healthy controls.
  • Quantitative volumetric analysis of subcortical structures using T1-weighted MRI.
  • Correlation of thalamic volumes with formal neurocognitive and clinical assessments, with statistical significance determined by false discovery rate (q<0.05).

Main Results:

  • Children with early onset epilepsy and cognitive impairment exhibited significantly reduced left thalamic volumes compared to those without impairment and healthy controls (q<0.001).
  • These volume differences persisted when adjusting for gray matter or cortical/cerebellar volumes.
  • The extent of left thalamic volume reduction correlated with the severity of cognitive impairment (q=0.048).

Conclusions:

  • Reduced left thalamic volume may serve as a potential biomarker for cognitive impairment in children with early onset epilepsy.
  • Identifying this biomarker could aid in informing the need for cognitive evaluations and interventions in this population.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cognitive impairmentEpilepsyPreschoolThalamusVolumetric MRI

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