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Review: Neurodegenerative processes in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: Clinical, pathological and neuroimaging evidence

Tai, XY; Bernhardt, B; Thom, M; Thompson, P; Baxendale, S; Koepp, M; Bernasconi, N; (2018) Review: Neurodegenerative processes in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: Clinical, pathological and neuroimaging evidence. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology , 44 (1) pp. 70-90. 10.1111/nan.12458. Green open access

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Abstract

Cognitive decline is increasingly described as a co‐morbidity of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment are not fully understood despite examining clinical factors, such as seizure frequency, and cellular mechanisms of excitotoxicity. We review the neuropsychometry evidence for progressive cognitive decline and examine the pathology and neuroimaging evidence supporting a neurodegenerative process in hippocampal sclerosis (HS)‐related TLE. Accelerated cognitive decline is described in groups of adult HS‐related TLE patients. Large childhood studies show early onset of seizures result in poor development of verbal memory and a hindrance in achieving cognitive potential. We discuss HS classification according to different patterns of neuronal loss and correlation to post‐temporal lobectomy cognitive outcomes in refractory TLE patients. Factors such as lateralization of HS pathology, neuronal density and subtype have correlated to cognitive outcomes with varying significance between different studies. Furthermore, alterations in neuronal maturity, regenerative capacity and aberrant connectivity appear to affect cognitive performance post‐operatively suggesting a complex multifactorial process. More recent studies have identified tau pathology being present in HS‐related TLE and correlated to post‐operative cognitive decline in some patients. A traumatic head injury‐related or novel tauopathy has been hypothesized as an underlying process. We discuss the value of prospective and cross‐sectional imaging in assessing cognition and review volumetric magnetic resonance studies with progressive ipsilateral hippocampal atrophy identified to correlate with seizure frequency. Finally, we consider the use of positron emission tomography biomarkers, such as tau tracers, and connectivity studies that may examine in vivo pathways and further explore cognitive decline in TLE.

Type: Article
Title: Review: Neurodegenerative processes in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: Clinical, pathological and neuroimaging evidence
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/nan.12458
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1111/nan.12458
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: cognitive decline, hippocampal sclerosis, neurofibrillary tangles, tau, temporal lobe epilepsy
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10041288
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