Rasmussen's encephalitis: structural, functional, and clinical correlates of contralesional epileptiform activity.

Progressive inflammation of one hemisphere characterises Rasmussen's encephalitis (RE), but contralesional epileptiform activity has been repeatedly reported. We aimed to quantify contralesional epileptiform activity in RE and uncover its functional and structural underpinnings. We retrospectively ascertained people with RE treated between 2000 and 2018 at a tertiary centre (Centre 1) and reviewed all available EEG datasets. The temporal occurrence of preoperative contralesional epileptiform activity (interictal/ictal) was evaluated using mixed-effects logistic regression. Cases with/without contralesional epileptiform activity were compared for cognition, inflammation (ipsilesional brain biopsies), and MRI (cortical and fixel-based morphometry). EEG findings were validated in a second cohort treated at another tertiary centre (Centre 2) between 1995 and 2020. We included 127 people with RE and 687 EEG samples. Preoperatively, contralesional epileptiform activity was seen in 30/68 (44%, Centre 1) and 8/59 (14%, Centre 2). In both cohorts, this activity was associated with younger onset age (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.83-0.97; P = 0.006). At centre 1, contralesional epileptiform activity was associated with contralesional MRI alterations, lower intelligence (OR = 5.19; 95% CI 1.28-21.08; P = 0.021), and impaired verbal memory (OR = 10.29; 95% CI 1.97-53.85; P = 0.006). After hemispherotomy, 11/17 (65%, Centre 1) and 28/37 (76%, Centre 2) were seizure-free. Contralesional epileptiform activity was persistent postoperatively in 6/12 (50%, Centre 1) and 2/34 (6%, Centre 2). Preoperative contralesional epileptiform activity reduced the chance of postoperative seizure freedom in both cohorts (OR = 0.69; 95% CI 0.50-0.95; P = 0.029). Our findings question the concept of strict unilaterality of RE and provide the evidence of contralesional epileptiform activity as a possible EEG predictor for persisting postoperative seizures.

Collagen VI: Role in synaptic transmission and seizure-related excitability.

Collagen VI (Col-VI) is an extracellular matrix protein primarily known for its bridging role in connective tissues that has been suggested to play a neuroprotective role. In the present study we report increased mRNA and protein expression of Col-VI in the hippocampus and cortex at a late stage of epileptogenesis in a post-status epilepticus (SE) model of epilepsy and in brain tissue from patients with epilepsy. We further present a novel finding that exposure of mouse hippocampal slices to Col-VI augments paired-pulse facilitation in Schaffer collateral-CA1 excitatory synapses indicating decreased release probability of glutamate. In line with this finding, lack of Col-VI expression in the knock-out mice show paired-pulse depression in these synapses, suggesting increased release probability of glutamate. In addition, we observed dynamic changes in Col-VI blood plasma levels in rats after Kainate-induced SE, and increased levels of Col-VI mRNA and protein in autopsy or postmortem brain of humans suffering from epilepsy. Thus, our data indicate that elevated levels of ColVI following seizures leads to attenuated glutamatergic transmission, ultimately resulting in less overall network excitability. Presumably, increased Col-VI may act as part of endogenous compensatory mechanism against enhanced excitability during epileptogenic processes in the hippocampus, and could be further investigated as a potential functional biomarker of epileptogenesis, and/or a novel target for therapeutic intervention.

From bedside to bench: New insights in epilepsy-associated tumors based on recent classification updates and animal models on brain tumor networks.

Low-grade neuroepithelial tumors (LGNTs), particularly those with glioneuronal histology, are highly associated with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Increasing research focused on these neoplastic lesions did not translate into drug discovery; and anticonvulsant or antitumor therapies are not available yet. During the last years, animal modeling has improved, thereby leading to the possibility of generating brain tumors in mice mimicking crucial genetic, molecular and immunohistological features. Among them, intraventricular in utero electroporation (IUE) has been proven to be a valuable tool for the generation of animal models for LGNTs allowing endogenous tumor growth within the mouse brain parenchyma. Epileptogenicity is mostly determined by the slow-growing patterns of these tumors, thus mirroring intrinsic interactions between tumor cells and surrounding neurons is crucial to investigate the mechanisms underlying convulsive activity. In this review, we provide an updated classification of the human LGNT and summarize the most recent data from human and animal models, with a focus on the crosstalk between brain tumors and neuronal function.

Long-term seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery of neuroglial tumors.

Purpose: Neuroglial tumors are frequently associated with pharmacorefractory epilepsies. However, comprehensive knowledge about long-term outcomes after epilepsy surgery and the main prognostic factors for outcome is still limited. We sought to evaluate long-term outcomes and potential influencing factors in a large cohort of patients who underwent surgery for neuroglial tumors in a single-center setting. Methods: The study analyzed the outcomes of 107 patients who underwent epilepsy surgery for neuroglial tumors between 2001 and 2020 at the Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, in Germany. The outcomes were evaluated using Engel classification. Differences in outcome related to potential prognostic factors were examined using the Chi2-test, Fisher's exact test and sign test. Additionally, stepwise logistic regression analysis was employed to identify independent prognostic factors. Results: Complete seizure freedom (Engel Class IA) was achieved in 75% of the operated patients at 12 months, and 56% at the last follow-up visit (70.4 ± 6.2 months, median: 40 months). Completeness of resection was a crucial factor for both 12-month follow-up outcomes and the longest available outcomes, whereas lobar tumor localization, histology (ganglioglioma vs. dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor), history of bilateral tonic-clonic seizures prior to surgery, invasive diagnostics, side of surgery (dominant vs. non-dominant hemisphere), age at epilepsy onset, age at surgery, and epilepsy duration did not consistently impact postsurgical outcomes. Among temporal lobe surgeries, patients who underwent lesionectomy and lesionectomy, including hippocampal resection, demonstrated similar outcomes. Conclusion: Neuroglial tumors present as excellent surgical substrates in treating structural epilepsy. To achieve an optimal postsurgical outcome, a complete lesion resection should be pursued whenever possible.

Focused review: Clinico-neuropathological aspects of late onset epilepsies: Pathogenesis.

The aim of the present study was to review the current knowledge on the neuropathological spectrum of late onset epilepsies. Several terms including 'neuropathology*' AND 'late onset epilepsy' (LOE) combined with distinct neuropathological diagnostic terms were used to search PubMed until November 15, 2023. We report on the relevance of definitional aspects of LOE with implications for the diagnostic spectrum of epilepsies. The neuropathological spectrum in patients with LOE is described and includes vascular lesions, low-grade neuroepithelial neoplasms and focal cortical dysplasias (FCD). Among the latter, the frequency of the FCD subtypes appears to differ between LOE patients and those with seizure onset at a younger age. Neurodegenerative neuropathological changes in the seizure foci of LOE patients require careful interdisciplinary interpretation with respect to the differential diagnosis of primary neurodegenerative changes or epilepsy-related changes. Innate and adaptive neuroinflammation represents an important cause of LOE with intriguing therapeutic options.

Paroxysmal dystonia results from the loss of RIM4 in Purkinje cells.

Full-length RIM1 and 2 are key components of the presynaptic active zone that ubiquitously control excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter release. Here, we report that the function of the small RIM isoform RIM4, consisting of a single C2 domain, is strikingly different from that of the long isoforms. RIM4 is dispensable for neurotransmitter release but plays a postsynaptic, cell type-specific role in cerebellar Purkinje cells that is essential for normal motor function. In the absence of RIM4, Purkinje cell intrinsic firing is reduced and caffeine-sensitive, and dendritic integration of climbing fibre input is disturbed. Mice lacking RIM4, but not mice lacking RIM1/2, selectively in Purkinje cells exhibit a severe, hours-long paroxysmal dystonia. These episodes can also be induced by caffeine, ethanol or stress and closely resemble the deficits seen with mutations of the PNKD (paroxysmal non-kinesigenic dystonia) gene. Our data reveal essential postsynaptic functions of RIM proteins and show non-overlapping specialized functions of a small isoform despite high homology to a single domain in the full-length proteins.

Evidence for interictal blood-brain barrier dysfunction in people with epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Interictal blood-brain barrier dysfunction in chronic epilepsy has been demonstrated in animal models and pathological specimens. Ictal blood-brain barrier dysfunction has been shown in humans in vivo using an experimental quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol. Here, we hypothesized that interictal blood-brain barrier dysfunction is also present in people with drug-resistant epilepsy. METHODS: Thirty-nine people (21 females, mean age at MRI ± SD = 30 ± 8 years) with drug-resistant epilepsy were prospectively recruited and underwent interictal T1-relaxometry before and after administration of a paramagnetic contrast agent. Likewise, quantitative T1 was acquired in 29 people without epilepsy (12 females, age at MRI = 48 ± 18 years). Quantitative T1 difference maps were calculated and served as a surrogate imaging marker for blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Values of quantitative T1 difference maps inside hemispheres ipsilateral to the presumed seizure onset zone were then compared, on a voxelwise level and within presumed seizure onset zones, to the contralateral side of people with epilepsy and to people without epilepsy. RESULTS: Compared to the contralateral side, ipsilateral T1 difference values were significantly higher in white matter (corrected p < .05), gray matter (uncorrected p < .05), and presumed seizure onset zones (p = .04) in people with epilepsy. Compared to people without epilepsy, significantly higher T1 difference values were found in the anatomical vicinity of presumed seizure onset zones (p = .004). A subgroup of people with hippocampal sclerosis demonstrated significantly higher T1 difference values in the ipsilateral hippocampus and in regions strongly interconnected with the hippocampus compared to people without epilepsy (corrected p < .01). Finally, z-scores reflecting the deviation of T1 difference values within the presumed seizure onset zone were associated with verbal memory performance (p = .02) in people with temporal lobe epilepsy. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate a blood-brain barrier dysfunction in drug-resistant epilepsy that is detectable interictally in vivo, anatomically related to the presumed seizure onset zone, and associated with cognitive deficits.

Outcome of Epilepsy Surgery in MRI-Negative Patients Without Histopathologic Abnormalities in the Resected Tissue.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with presumed nonlesional focal epilepsy-based on either MRI or histopathologic findings-have a lower success rate of epilepsy surgery compared with lesional patients. In this study, we aimed to characterize a large group of patients with focal epilepsy who underwent epilepsy surgery despite a normal MRI and had no lesion on histopathology. Determinants of their postoperative seizure outcomes were further studied. METHODS: We designed an observational multicenter cohort study of MRI-negative and histopathology-negative patients who were derived from the European Epilepsy Brain Bank and underwent epilepsy surgery between 2000 and 2012 in 34 epilepsy surgery centers within Europe. We collected data on clinical characteristics, presurgical assessment, including genetic testing, surgery characteristics, postoperative outcome, and treatment regimen. RESULTS: Of the 217 included patients, 40% were seizure-free (Engel I) 2 years after surgery and one-third of patients remained seizure-free after 5 years. Temporal lobe surgery (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.62; 95% CI 1.19-5.76), shorter epilepsy duration (AOR for duration: 0.94; 95% CI 0.89-0.99), and completely normal histopathologic findings-versus nonspecific reactive gliosis-(AOR: 4.69; 95% CI 1.79-11.27) were significantly associated with favorable seizure outcome at 2 years after surgery. Of patients who underwent invasive monitoring, only 35% reached seizure freedom at 2 years. Patients with parietal lobe resections had lowest seizure freedom rates (12.5%). Among temporal lobe surgery patients, there was a trend toward favorable outcome if hippocampectomy was part of the resection strategy (OR: 2.94; 95% CI 0.98-8.80). Genetic testing was only sporadically performed. DISCUSSION: This study shows that seizure freedom can be reached in 40% of nonlesional patients with both normal MRI and histopathology findings. In particular, nonlesional temporal lobe epilepsy should be regarded as a relatively favorable group, with almost half of patients achieving seizure freedom at 2 years after surgery-even more if the hippocampus is resected-compared with only 1 in 5 nonlesional patients who underwent extratemporal surgery. Patients with an electroclinically identified focus, who are nonlesional, will be a promising group for advanced molecular-genetic analysis of brain tissue specimens to identify new brain somatic epilepsy genes or epilepsy-associated molecular pathways.

Ganglioglioma cells potentiate neuronal network synchronicity and elicit burst discharges via released factors.

Gangliogliomas (GGs) represent the most frequent glioneuronal tumor entity associated with chronic recurrent seizures; rare anaplastic GGs variants retain the glioneuronal character. So far, key mechanisms triggering chronic hyperexcitability in the peritumoral area are unresolved. Based on a recent mouse model for anaplastic GG (BRAFV600E, mTOR activation and Trp53KO) we here assessed the influence of GG-secreted factors on non-neoplastic cells in-vitro. We generated conditioned medium (CM) from primary GG cell cultures to developing primary cortical neurons cultured on multielectrode-arrays and assessed their electrical activity in comparison to neurons incubated with naïve and neuronal CMs. Our results showed that the GG CM, while not affecting the mean firing rates of networks, strongly accelerated the formation of functional networks as indicated increased synchrony of firing and burst activity. Washing out the GG CM did not reverse these effects indicating an irreversible effect on the neuronal network. Mass spectrometry analysis of GG CM detected several enriched proteins associated with neurogenesis as well as gliogenesis, including Gap43, App, Apoe, S100a8, Tnc and Sod1. Concomitantly, immunocytochemical analysis of the neuronal cultures exposed to GG CM revealed abundant astrocytes suggesting that the GG-secreted factors induce astroglial proliferation. Pharmacological inhibition of astrocyte proliferation only partially reversed the accelerated network maturation in neuronal cultures exposed to GG CM indicating that the GG CM exerts a direct effect on the neuronal component. Taken together, we demonstrate that GG-derived paracrine signaling alone is sufficient to induce accelerated neuronal network development accompanied by astrocytic proliferation. Perspectively, a deeper understanding of factors involved may serve as the basis for future therapeutic approaches.

Highly dynamic inflammatory and excitability transcriptional profiles in hippocampal CA1 following status epilepticus.

Transient brain insults including status epilepticus (SE) can initiate a process termed 'epileptogenesis' that results in chronic temporal lobe epilepsy. As a consequence, the entire tri-synaptic circuit of the hippocampus is fundamentally impaired. A key role in epileptogenesis has been attributed to the CA1 region as the last relay station in the hippocampal circuit and as site of aberrant plasticity, e.g. mediated by acquired channelopathies. The transcriptional profiles of the distinct hippocampal neurons are highly dynamic during epileptogenesis. Here, we aimed to elucidate the early SE-elicited mRNA signature changes and the respective upstream regulatory cascades in CA1. RNA sequencing of CA1 was performed in the mouse pilocarpine-induced SE model at multiple time points ranging from 6 to 72 h after the initial insult. Bioinformatics was used to decipher altered gene expression, signalling cascades and their corresponding cell type profiles. Robust transcriptomic changes were detected at 6 h after SE and at subsequent time points during early epileptogenesis. Major differentially expressed mRNAs encoded primarily immediate early and excitability-related gene products, as well as genes encoding immune signalling factors. Binding sites for the transcription factors Nfkb1, Spi1, Irf8, and two Runx family members, were enriched within promoters of differentially expressed genes related to major inflammatory processes, whereas the transcriptional repressors Suz12, Nfe2l2 and Rest were associated with hyperexcitability and GABA / glutamate receptor activity. CA1 quickly responds to SE by inducing transcription of genes linked to inflammation and excitation stress. Transcription factors mediating this transcriptomic switch represent targets for new highly selected, cell type and time window-specific anti-epileptogenic strategies.

An open presurgery MRI dataset of people with epilepsy and focal cortical dysplasia type II.

Automated detection of lesions using artificial intelligence creates new standards in medical imaging. For people with epilepsy, automated detection of focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs) is widely used because subtle FCDs often escape conventional neuroradiological diagnosis. Accurate recognition of FCDs, however, is of outstanding importance for affected people, as surgical resection of the dysplastic cortex is associated with a high chance of postsurgical seizure freedom. Here, we make publicly available a dataset of 85 people affected by epilepsy due to FCD type II and 85 healthy control persons. We publish 3D-T1 and 3D-FLAIR, manually labeled regions of interest, and carefully selected clinical features. The open presurgery MRI dataset may be used to validate existing automated algorithms of FCD detection as well as to create new approaches. Most importantly, it will enable comparability of already existing approaches and support a more widespread use of automated lesion detection tools.

Translational imaging of TSPO reveals pronounced innate inflammation in human and murine CD8 T cell-mediated limbic encephalitis.

Autoimmune limbic encephalitis (ALE) presents with new-onset mesial temporal lobe seizures, progressive memory disturbance, and other behavioral and cognitive changes. CD8 T cells are considered to play a key role in those cases where autoantibodies (ABs) target intracellular antigens or no ABs were found. Assessment of such patients presents a clinical challenge, and novel noninvasive imaging biomarkers are urgently needed. Here, we demonstrate that visualization of the translocator protein (TSPO) with [18F]DPA-714-PET-MRI reveals pronounced microglia activation and reactive gliosis in the hippocampus and amygdala of patients suspected with CD8 T cell ALE, which correlates with FLAIR-MRI and EEG alterations. Back-translation into a preclinical mouse model of neuronal antigen-specific CD8 T cell-mediated ALE allowed us to corroborate our preliminary clinical findings. These translational data underline the potential of [18F]DPA-714-PET-MRI as a clinical molecular imaging method for the direct assessment of innate immunity in CD8 T cell-mediated ALE.

A novel geometry-based analysis of hippocampal morphometry in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Hippocampal volumetry is an essential tool in researching and diagnosing mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). However, it has a limited ability to detect subtle alterations in hippocampal morphometry. Here, we establish and apply a novel geometry-based tool that enables point-wise morphometric analysis based on an intrinsic coordinate system of the hippocampus. We hypothesized that this point-wise analysis uncovers structural alterations not measurable by volumetry, but associated with histological underpinnings and the neuropsychological profile of mTLE. We conducted a retrospective study in 204 individuals with mTLE and 57 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. FreeSurfer-based segmentations of hippocampal subfields in 3T-MRI were subjected to a geometry-based analysis that resulted in a coordinate system of the hippocampal mid-surface and allowed for point-wise measurements of hippocampal thickness and other features. Using point-wise analysis, we found significantly lower thickness and higher FLAIR signal intensity in the entire affected hippocampus of individuals with hippocampal sclerosis (HS-mTLE). In the contralateral hippocampus of HS-mTLE and the affected hippocampus of MRI-negative mTLE, we observed significantly lower thickness in the presubiculum. Impaired verbal memory was associated with lower thickness in the left presubiculum. In HS-mTLE histological subtype 3, we observed higher curvature than in subtypes 1 and 2 (all p < .05). These findings could not be observed using conventional volumetry (Bonferroni-corrected p < .05). We show that point-wise measures of hippocampal morphometry can uncover structural alterations not measurable by volumetry while also reflecting histological underpinnings and verbal memory. This substantiates the prospect of their clinical application.

Mesiotemporal Volumetry, Cortical Thickness, and Neuropsychological Deficits in the Long-term Course of Limbic Encephalitis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Limbic encephalitis (LE) is an autoimmune disease often associated with temporal lobe epilepsy and subacute memory deficits. It is categorized into serologic subgroups, which differ in clinical progress, therapy response, and prognosis. Using longitudinal MRI analysis, we hypothesized that mesiotemporal and cortical atrophy rates would reveal serotype-specific patterns and reflect disease severity. METHODS: In this longitudinal case-control study, all individuals with antibody-positive (glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 [GAD], leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 [LGI1], contactin-associated protein 2 [CASPR2], and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor [NMDAR]) nonparaneoplastic LE according to Graus' diagnostic criteria treated between 2005 and 2019 at the University Hospital Bonn were enrolled. A longitudinal healthy cohort was included as the control group. Subcortical segmentation and cortical reconstruction of T1-weighted MRI were performed using the longitudinal framework in FreeSurfer. We applied linear mixed models to examine mesiotemporal volumes and cortical thickness longitudinally. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-seven MRI scans from 59 individuals with LE (34 female, age at disease onset [mean ± SD] 42.5 ± 20.4 years; GAD: n = 30, 135 scans; LGI1: n = 15, 55 scans; CASPR2: n = 9, 37 scans; and NMDAR: n = 5, 30 scans) were included. The healthy control group consisted of 128 scans from 41 individuals (22 female, age at first scan [mean ± SD] 37.7 ± 14.6 years). The amygdalar volume at disease onset was significantly higher in individuals with LE (p ≤ 0.048 for all antibody subgroups) compared with that in healthy controls and decreased over time in all antibody subgroups, except in the GAD subgroup. We observed a significantly higher hippocampal atrophy rate in all antibody subgroups compared with that in healthy controls (all p ≤ 0.002), except in the GAD subgroup. Cortical atrophy rates exceeded normal aging in individuals with impaired verbal memory, while those who were not impaired did not differ significantly from healthy controls. DISCUSSION: Our data depict higher mesiotemporal volumes in the early disease stage, most likely due to edematous swelling, followed by volume regression and atrophy/hippocampal sclerosis in the late disease stage. Our study reveals a continuous and pathophysiologically meaningful trajectory of mesiotemporal volumetry across all serogroups and provides evidence that LE should be considered a network disorder in which extratemporal involvement is an important determinant of disease severity.

The multifactorial etiology of cognitive deficits in epilepsy and the neuropathology of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy beyond hyperphosphorylated tau.

In response to the recent review by Zawar and Kapur on the overlap between mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), we (1) underscore that the bidirectionality between epilepsy and dementia is of high interest, also from the epileptological perspective; (2) outline the multifactorial etiology of cognitive deficits in epilepsy; (3) emphasize that the most prevalent neuropathological findings in MTLE comprise hippocampal sclerosis, dysplastic lesions, and neurodevelopmental neoplasm; and (4) state that anti-seizure medication can also have adverse effects on cognition. We conclude that the neuropsychology and neuropathology of MTLE is actually more complex than implicated in the review by Zawar and Kapur. Their suggested model may be valid for a small specific subgroup of cases. However, more studies are needed to confirm the role of hyperphosphorylated tau in epilepsy patients with and without AD considering age and age at epilepsy onset as potential moderator variables.

Artificial intelligence for the detection of focal cortical dysplasia: Challenges in translating algorithms into clinical practice.

Focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs) are malformations of cortical development and one of the most common pathologies causing pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy. Resective neurosurgery yields high success rates, especially if the full extent of the lesion is correctly identified and completely removed. The visual assessment of magnetic resonance imaging does not pinpoint the FCD in 30%-50% of cases, and half of all patients with FCD are not amenable to epilepsy surgery, partly because the FCD could not be sufficiently localized. Computational approaches to FCD detection are an active area of research, benefitting from advancements in computer vision. Automatic FCD detection is a significant challenge and one of the first clinical grounds where the application of artificial intelligence may translate into an advance for patients' health. The emergence of new methods from the combination of health and computer sciences creates novel challenges. Imaging data need to be organized into structured, well-annotated datasets and combined with other clinical information, such as histopathological subtypes or neuroimaging characteristics. Algorithmic output, that is, model prediction, requires a technically correct evaluation with adequate metrics that are understandable and usable for clinicians. Publication of code and data is necessary to make research accessible and reproducible. This critical review introduces the field of automatic FCD detection, explaining underlying medical and technical concepts, highlighting its challenges and current limitations, and providing a perspective for a novel research environment.

Subcellular analysis of blood-brain barrier function by micro-impalement of vessels in acute brain slices.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a tightly and actively regulated vascular barrier. Answering fundamental biological and translational questions about the BBB with currently available approaches is hampered by a trade-off between accessibility and biological validity. We report an approach combining micropipette-based local perfusion of capillaries in acute brain slices with multiphoton microscopy. Micro-perfusion offers control over the luminal solution and allows application of molecules and drug delivery systems, whereas the bath solution defines the extracellular milieu in the brain parenchyma. Here we show, that this combination allows monitoring of BBB transport at the cellular level, visualization of BBB permeation of cells and molecules in real-time and resolves subcellular details of the neurovascular unit. In combination with electrophysiology, it permits comparison of drug effects on neuronal activity following luminal versus parenchymal application. We further apply micro-perfusion to the human and mouse BBB of epileptic hippocampi highlighting its utility for translational research and analysis of therapeutic strategies.

'Hippocampal innate inflammatory gliosis only' in pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy.

Drug-resistant mesial-temporal lobe epilepsy is a devastating disease with seizure onset in the hippocampal formation. A fraction of hippocampi samples from epilepsy-surgical procedures reveals a peculiar histological pattern referred to as 'gliosis only' with unresolved pathogenesis and enigmatic sequelae. Here, we hypothesize that 'gliosis only' represents a particular syndrome defined by distinct clinical and molecular characteristics. We curated an in-depth multiparameter integration of systematic clinical, neuropsychological as well as neuropathological analysis from a consecutive cohort of 627 patients, who underwent hippocampectomy for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy. All patients underwent either classic anterior temporal lobectomy or selective amygdalohippocampectomy. On the basis of their neuropathological exam, patients with hippocampus sclerosis and 'gliosis only' were characterized and compared within the whole cohort and within a subset of matched pairs. Integrated transcriptional analysis was performed to address molecular differences between both groups. 'Gliosis only' revealed demographics, clinical and neuropsychological outcome fundamentally different from hippocampus sclerosis. 'Gliosis only' patients had a significantly later seizure onset (16.3 versus 12.2 years, P = 0.005) and worse neuropsychological outcome after surgery compared to patients with hippocampus sclerosis. Epilepsy was less amendable by surgery in 'gliosis only' patients, resulting in a significantly worse rate of seizure freedom after surgery in this subgroup (43% versus 68%, P = 0.0001, odds ratio = 2.8, confidence interval 1.7-4.7). This finding remained significant after multivariate and matched-pairs analysis. The 'gliosis only' group demonstrated pronounced astrogliosis and lack of significant neuronal degeneration in contrast to characteristic segmental neuron loss and fibrillary astrogliosis in hippocampus sclerosis. RNA-sequencing of gliosis only patients deciphered a distinct transcriptional programme that resembles an innate inflammatory response of reactive astrocytes. Our data indicate a new temporal lobe epilepsy syndrome for which we suggest the term 'Innate inflammatory gliosis only'. 'Innate inflammatory gliosis only' is characterized by a diffuse gliosis pattern lacking restricted hippocampal focality and is poorly controllable by surgery. Thus, 'innate inflammatory gliosis only' patients need to be clearly identified by presurgical examination paradigms of pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy patients; surgical treatment of this subgroup should be considered with great precaution. 'Innate inflammatory gliosis only' requires innovative pharmacotreatment strategies.

Neuropathological Insights into Unexpected Cognitive Decline in Epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Some patients unexpectedly display an unfavorable cognitive course after epilepsy surgery subsequent to any direct cognitive sequelae of the surgical treatment. Therefore, we conducted in-depth neuropathological examinations of resective specimens from corresponding patients to provide insights as to the underlying disease processes. METHODS: In this study, cases with significant cognitive deterioration following a previous postoperative assessment were extracted from the neuropsychological database of a longstanding epilepsy surgical program. An extensive reanalysis of available specimens was performed using current, state-of-the-art neuropathological examinations. Patients without cognitive deterioration but matched in regard to basic pathologies served as controls. RESULTS: Among the 355 operated patients who had undergone more than one postoperative neuropsychological examination, 30 (8%) showed significant cognitive decline in the period after surgery. Of the 24 patients with available specimens, 71% displayed further neuropathological changes in addition to the typical spectrum (ie, hippocampal sclerosis, focal cortical dysplasias, vascular lesions, and low-grade tumors), indicating (1) a secondary, putatively epilepsy-independent neurodegenerative disease process; (2) limbic inflammation; or (3) the enigmatic pathology pattern of "hippocampal gliosis" without segmental neurodegeneration. In the controls, the matched individual principal epilepsy-associated pathologies were not found in combination with the secondary pathology patterns of the study group. INTERPRETATION: Our findings indicate that patients who unexpectedly displayed unfavorable cognitive development beyond any direct surgical effects show rare and very particular pathogenetic causes or parallel, presumably independent, neurodegenerative alterations. A multicenter collection of such cases would be appreciated to discern presurgical biomarkers that help with surgical decision-making. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:536-550.