Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
Assessment of Dendritic Arborization in the Dentate Gyrus of the Hippocampal Region in Mice
Published on: March 31, 2015
Hippocampal dentate gyrus dysplasia and the risk of sudden unexpected death
Douglas C Miller1, Kristen M Scheitler1, Jeffery Holloway1
1Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, United States.
Insights
Hippocampal dentate gyral dysplasia, characterized by abnormalities in brain structure, is linked to sudden unexpected death. These findings suggest it may be a significant risk factor across various age groups.
Area of Science:
- Neuropathology
- Epilepsy Research
- Forensic Pathology
Background:
- Hippocampal dentate gyral dysplasia is a known finding in temporal lobe epilepsy.
- This condition has been implicated as a potential risk factor in sudden unexpected deaths across different populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between dentate gyral abnormalities and causes of death in autopsy cases.
- To determine if specific forms of dentate gyral dysplasia are associated with sudden unexpected death.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of autopsy reports and histopathological slides from 2008-2016.
- Identification and classification of dentate gyral abnormalities (duplications, hyperconvolutions, granule cell dispersion).
- Correlation of neuropathological findings with documented causes of death.
Main Results:
- Of 949 neuropathology examinations, 205 cases (21.6%) showed dentate gyral abnormalities.
- Among these 205 cases, 87 (42.4%) died suddenly and unexpectedly.
- Significant proportions of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), sudden unexpected death of a child (SUDC), and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)/sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) cases exhibited these abnormalities.
Conclusions:
- Dentate gyral abnormalities are recognizable by experienced neuropathologists.
- The overrepresentation of these abnormalities in sudden unexpected death cases suggests a potential risk factor.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise role of dentate gyral dysplasia in sudden unexpected mortality.
Abstract:
Hippocampal dentate gyral dysplasia is well-described in temporal lobe epilepsy and may be a risk factor for sudden, unexpected death in several populations: infants (sudden infant death syndrome [SIDS], sudden unexpected infant death [SUID]), toddlers (sudden unexpected death of a child [SUDC]), and epileptics (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy [SUDEP]). We examined reports and histopathological slides from autopsies performed at our institution from 2008 through 2016 to determine whether the presence or absence of any of the described forms of such dysplasias (duplications, hyperconvolutions, and granule cell dispersion, including bilamination), correlated with the causes of death. From well over 4000 autopsies, we identified 949 autopsies with a neuropathology examination by a neuropathologist. Of these, 205 cases (21.6%) had 1 or more of the described abnormalities of 1 or both dentate gyri; 87 (42.4%) of the individuals in this group of 205 autopsies had died suddenly and unexpectedly, including 29/90 (32.2%) cases of SUDEP, 17/31 (54.8%) cases of SUDC, and 51/104 (49.0%) cases of infants with SIDS or SUID. We conclude that these changes are readily recognizable by experienced neuropathologists and that because they are overrepresented in an autopsy population that died suddenly and unexpectedly, they may represent a risk factor for such outcomes.
