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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
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Network Analysis of Foramen Ovale Electrode Recordings in Drug-resistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients
Published on: December 18, 2016
Assessing metabolic progression in temporal lobe epilepsy: biological and methodological considerations
Giampiero Giovacchini1, Shubhi Agrawal2,3, Andrea Marciano4
1Nuclear Medicine Department, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Via Vittorio Veneto, 197, 19124, La Spezia, Italy. giampiero.giovacchini@asl5.liguria.it.
Annals of Nuclear Medicine
|June 9, 2026
Summary
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) progression is influenced by factors like brain atrophy. Normalized glucose metabolism and asymmetry indices are more sensitive to epilepsy duration than absolute values, especially after partial volume correction.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epilepsy Research
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) may be progressive, with mesial temporal regions vulnerable to seizures.
- Brain atrophy and mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) can bias assessments of disease progression.
- The relationship between epilepsy duration and cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRglu) needs further investigation, considering methodological effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the relationship between epilepsy duration and CMRglu in TLE patients.
- To evaluate the impact of partial volume correction (PVC) on these relationships.
- To determine the influence of brain atrophy and MTS on metabolic progression assessment.
Main Methods:
- Utilized [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in 22 TLE patients.
- Quantified absolute and normalized CMRglu values.
- Applied an automated, MR-segmentation-based PVC algorithm.
Main Results:
- PVC increased CMRglu variability; normalization reduced it.
- No significant relationship found between absolute CMRglu and epilepsy duration.
- Normalized CMRglu in parahippocampus showed a persistent negative relationship with duration post-PVC.
- CMRglu asymmetry indices (AIs) showed a positive relationship with duration in the hippocampus before PVC, which disappeared after PVC.
Conclusions:
- Mesial temporal regions are highly sensitive to epileptic seizures.
- Methodological factors like PVC and data variability affect metabolic progression assessment.
- Normalized CMRglu and AIs offer greater statistical power than absolute values, suggesting quantitative PET may not be necessary.
