Relationship between the volume of the cerebral cortex and limbic structures in memory and treatment response in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

• Grant number: 11/20856-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: March 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Cendes
• Grantee: Denise Pacagnella
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most frequent form of partial epilepsy in adults and 60% of cases are associated with mesial temporal sclerosis, atrophic lesions of the mesial temporal lobe portions, identified by magnetic resonance imaging of hippocampal volume reduction, changes in its internal structure and increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Manual volumetric is a technique widely used, but automated methods are being implemented to optimize the diagnosis of structural lesions in epilepsy. Relaxometry techniques to quantify the changes of magnetic relaxation signal in T2-weighted images. Mesial temporal sclerosis is also associated with memory deficits due to involvement of the hippocampal system, so the neuropsychological evaluation plays an important role in the clinical investigation of patients because most of them are refractory to drug treatment and surgical candidates. Although structures contralateral to the resected temporal lobe demonstrate functional reserve for memory functions, most patients present decline in performance when tested in the postoperative period. In this context, we intend to evaluate prospectively the hippocampal volume and neuropsychological performance in relation to memory in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, assess the changes in signal intensity of magnetic relaxation from the mesial temporal sclerosis, to quantify automatically the volume of mesial temporal structures, thalamus and thickness of the cerebral cortex and correlate neuroimaging findings with the evaluation of memory and the response to clinical and/or surgery treatment. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PACAGNELLA, DENISE; LOPES, TATILA M.; MORITA, MARCIA E.; YASUDA, CLARISSA L.; CAPPABIANCO, FABIO A. M.; BERGO, FELIPE; BALTHAZAR, MARCIO L. F.; COAN, ANA C.; CENDES, FERNANDO. Memory impairment is not necessarily related to seizure frequency in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. Epilepsia, v. 55, n. 8, p. 1197-1204, AUG 2014. (13/07559-3, 11/20856-1)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

PACAGNELLA, Denise. Relationship between cerebral cortical volume and limbic structures in memory and treatment response in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. 2016. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Ciências Médicas Campinas, SP.