Outcome prediction in brain tumor surgery: a literature review on the influence of nonmedical factors.

The purpose of the present study was to review the existing data on preoperative nonmedical factors that are predictive of outcome in brain tumor surgery. Our hypothesis was that also the individual characteristics (e.g., emotional state, cognitive status, social relationships) could influence the postoperative course in addition to clinical factors usually investigated in brain tumor surgery. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched from 2008 to 2018 using terms relating to brain tumors, craniotomy, and predictors. All types of outcome were considered: clinical, cognitive, and psychological. Out of 6.288 records identified, 16 articles were selected for analysis and a qualitative synthesis of the prognostic factors was performed. The following nonmedical factors were found to be predictive of surgical outcomes: socio-demographic (age, marital status, type of insurance, gender, socio-economic status, type of hospital), cognitive (preoperative language and cognitive deficits, performance at TMT-B test), and psychological (preoperative depressive symptoms, personality traits, autonomy for daily activities, altered mental status). This review showed that nonmedical predictors of outcome exist in brain tumor surgery. Consequently, individual characteristics (e.g., emotional state, cognitive status, social relationships) can influence the postoperative course in addition to clinical factors.

Predicting Neurocognitive Change after Bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation of Subthalamic Nucleus for Parkinson's Disease.

OBJECTIVE: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a standard surgical treatment option in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. Adverse effects on cognitive function have been reported, impacting the quality of life of patients and caregivers. We aimed to investigate a quantitative predictive preexisting cognitive factor for predicting postoperative cognitive changes. METHODS: Thirty-five patients underwent STN-DBS. A battery of neuropsychological tests were used to examine executive function, processing speed, and visuospatial function both preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between preoperative factors and cognitive outcomes. The predictive value of the preoperative factors for global cognitive decline during long-term follow-up were evaluated. RESULTS: The patients exhibited significant changes in processing speed and visuospatial function after surgery. Using reliable change index values, lower preoperative scores on the Similarities and Object Assembly subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III were associated with decreases in visuospatial function at 1 year after DBS. The odds ratios were 10.2 for Similarities and 9.53 for Object Assembly. The proportion of Mini Mental State Examination-maintained patients with low scores on the Similarities subtest was significantly lower than that of patients with high scores at 3 and 5 years. No factors were found to be related to decreases in processing speed. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative evaluation of the Similarities and Object Assembly subtests may be useful to identify patients who are at a greater risk of experiencing decreases in visuospatial functioning after STN-DBS. Furthermore, a low score on the Similarities subtest may predict future global cognitive deterioration.

Application of Acupuncture to Attenuate Immune Responses and Oxidative Stress in Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: What Do We Know So Far?

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common sequela following surgery and hospitalization. The prevention and management of POCD are important during clinical practice. POCD more commonly affects elderly patients who have undergone major surgery and can result in major decline in quality of life for both patients and their families. Acupuncture has been suggested as an effective intervention for many neurological disorders. In recent years, there are increasing interest in the use of acupuncture to prevent and treat POCD. In this review, we summarized the clinical and preclinical evidence of acupuncture on POCD using a narrative approach and discussed the potential mechanisms involved. The experimental details and findings of studies were summarized in tables and analyzed. Most of the clinical studies suggested that acupuncture before surgery could reduce the incidence of POCD and reduce the levels of systematic inflammatory markers. However, their reliability is limited by methodological flaws. Animal studies showed that acupuncture reduced cognitive impairment and the associated pathology after various types of surgery. It is possible that acupuncture modulates inflammation, oxidative stress, synaptic changes, and other cellular events to mitigate POCD. In conclusion, acupuncture is a potential intervention for POCD. More clinical studies with good research design are required to confirm its effectiveness. At the same time, findings from animal studies will help reveal the protective mechanisms, in which systematic inflammation is likely to play a major role.

Frontal assessment battery in Parkinson's disease: A study on 170 patients.

BACKGROUND: Frontal assessment battery (FAB) was devised as a specific study design to assess frontal lobe dysfunction. Since Parkinson's disease (PD) is often associated with cognitive and other higher mental function complications, FAB test has been carried out by a number of workers to assess the integrity of the frontal lobe. On the other hand, the other frequently conducted test, performed in order to evaluate the mental status, is the Mini Mental State examination of Folstein (MMSE), but its reliability has been questioned in PD, since it does not assess the functions of the frontal lobe alone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study was undertaken in order to assess the suitability of application of the FAB test in Indian patients and to perform its comparative analysis with the MMSE scale. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: It was observed that the FAB test correlated with the age and the level of education of the patient. The results also correlated with that of the MMSE study, in spite of the fact that the latter is not considered to be a test which can assess exclusively the status of the frontal lobe. To the best of our knowledge, this is first study undertaken in India in this regard.

Changes in Cognition, Depression and Quality of Life after Carotid Stenosis Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Although several studies have evaluated the change of cognitive performance after severe carotid artery stenosis, the results still remain elusive. The objective of this study was to assess changes in cognitive function, depressive symptoms and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) after carotid stenosis revascularisation and Best Medical Treatment (BMT). METHODS: Study involved 213 patients with ≥70% carotid stenosis who underwent assessment of cognitive function using Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MoCA), depressive symptoms - using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and HRQoL - using Medical Outcome Survey Short Form version 2 (SF-36v2). The assessment was performed before and at 6 and 12 months followup periods in patients who had Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA), Carotid Artery Stenting (CAS) or received BMT only. RESULTS: Improvement in the total MoCA scores was observed after 6 and 12 months (p<0.001, Kendall's W=0.28) in the CEA group. In the CAS group - after 12 months (p=0.01, Kendall's W=0.261) whereas in the BMT group - no significant changes (p=0.295, Kendall's W=0.081) were observed. Reduction of depressive symptoms was not found in any of the study groups. Comparing mean SF-36v2 scores in the CEA group, there was no significant difference in any of 10 subscales. Likewise in the CAS group - no significant difference in 9 of 10 subscales (p=0.028, η2=0.343) was observed. Three subscales worsened in the BMT group during the 1-year follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Patients with severe carotid stenosis who underwent revascularisation enhanced their cognitive performance without exerting significant change of depressive symptoms. Preoperative HRQoL may be maintained for at least one year in the CEA group.

Easily Screenable Characteristics Associated with Cognitive Improvement and Dysfunction After Carotid Endarterectomy.

BACKGROUND: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is an effective treatment for the prevention of stroke in patients with carotid artery stenosis. We aimed to clarify the incidence and risk factors for early cognitive dysfunction (eCD) and early cognitive improvement (eCI), defined as change in cognitive performance ≤24 hours after surgery, using a battery of neuropsychometric tests. METHODS: In total, 585 patients undergoing CEA were tested with neuropsychometric tests before and after surgery; 155 patients undergoing "simple" spine surgery were the reference group. Patient performance for each test was evaluated by z scores. Cognitive change was defined as eCD (or eCI) if: 1) patients had a z score ≤-2 (or ≥2) in ≥2 cognitive domains or 2) patients had mean z scores across all domains ≤-1.5 (or ≥1.5). Associations between the categorical cognitive outcomes and variables of interest were modeled using the proportional odds model. RESULTS: Of the 585 subjects, 24% had eCD, 6% had eCI, and 70% had "no change." Patients who had eCD were more likely to be statin naïve (odds ratio [OR] 1.23 [1.03-1.48], P = 0.02) or women (OR 1.27 [1.06-1.53], P = 0.02). Those with eCI were less likely to have less formal education (OR 0.95 [0.90-1.00], P = 0.04) and less likely to have diabetes mellitus (OR 0.8 [0.65-0.99], P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Patients having CEA may develop eCD or eCI postoperatively. Medications likely to be associated with less eCD are statins and aspirin, which correlate most strongly in asymptomatic patients. In addition to confirming previous findings, we found that women were more likely than men to develop eCD. More sex-specific studies and analysis are needed to better explore these findings.

Intracranial Transplantation of Pancreatic Islets Attenuates Cognitive and Peripheral Metabolic Dysfunctions in a Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is often associated with brain insulin resistance and peripheral metabolic dysfunctions. Recently, we developed a model of sporadic AD associated with obesity-related peripheral metabolic abnormalities in Lewis rats using intracerebroventricular administration of streptozotocin (icv-STZ). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the effect of intracranially grafted pancreatic islets on cognitive and peripheral metabolic dysfunctions in the icv-STZ Lewis rats. METHODS: AD-like dementia associated with obesity was induced in inbred Lewis rats using a single icv-STZ. Two months after icv-STZ, syngeneic islets (100 islets per recipient) were implanted in the cranial subarachnoid cavity of icv-STZ rats. Morris water maze and marble burying tests were used for studying cognitive and behavioral functions. Central and peripheral metabolic alterations were assessed by histological and biochemical assays. RESULTS: The icv-STZ induced increases in food intake, body weight, and blood levels of insulin and leptin without alteration of glucose homeostasis. Grafted islets reduced body weight gain, food consumption, peripheral insulin resistance, and hyperleptinemia. Biochemical and histological analysis of the brain revealed viable grafted islets expressing insulin and glucagon. The grafted islets did not affect expression of brain insulin receptors and peripheral glucose homeostasis. Two months after islet transplantation, cognitive and behavioral functioning in transplanted rats were significantly better than the sham-operated icv-STZ rats. No significant differences in the locomotor activity between transplanted and non-transplanted icv-STZ rats were found. CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial islet transplantation attenuates cognitive decline and peripheral metabolic dysfunctions providing a novel therapeutic approach for sporadic AD associated with peripheral metabolic dysfunctions.

Bone-Marrow-Derived Microglia-Like Cells Ameliorate Brain Amyloid Pathology and Cognitive Impairment in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Microglia, the primary immune cells in the brain, sense pathogens and tissue damage, stimulate cytokine production, and phagocytosis to maintain homeostasis. Accumulation of amyloid-ß peptides (Aß) in the brain triggers the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Accordingly, promotion of Aß clearance represents a promising strategy for AD therapy. We previously demonstrated that primary-cultured rat microglia phagocytose Aß, and that transplantation of these cells ameliorates the Aß burden in brains of Aß-injected rats. In this study, we demonstrate that stimulation with colony-stimulating factor-1 efficiently differentiates mouse bone marrow cells into bone marrow-derived microglia-like (BMDML) cells that express markers for microglia, including the recently identified transmembrane protein 119. BMDML cells effectively phagocytose Aß in vitro, with effects comparable to primary-cultured mouse microglia and greater than peritoneal macrophages. RT-qPCR analysis for cytokine mRNA levels revealed that BMDML cells polarize to a relatively anti-inflammatory state under non-stimulated and inflammatory conditions but exert a pro-inflammatory reaction after lipopolysaccharide treatment. Moreover, BMDML cells hippocampally injected into a mouse model of AD are morphologically similar to the ramified and amoeboid types of residential microglia. Comparisons with simulations assuming a uniform distribution of cells suggest that BMDML cells migrate directionally toward Aß plaques. We also detected Aß phagocytosis by BMDML cells, concomitant with a reduction in the number and area of Aß plaques. Finally, we observed amelioration of cognitive impairment in a mouse model of AD after hippocampal injection of BMDML cells. Our results suggest that BMDML cells have potential as a cell-based disease-modifying therapy against AD.

Transplantation of in vitro cultured endothelial progenitor cells repairs the blood-brain barrier and improves cognitive function of APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice.

To date, the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. It is well-known that excessive deposition of Aß in the brain is a crucial part of the pathogenesis of AD. In recent years, the AD neurovascular unit hypothesis has attracted much attention. Impairment of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) leads to abnormal amyloid-ß (Aß) transport, and chronic cerebral hypoperfusion causes Aß deposition throughout the onset and progression of AD. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are the universal cells for repairing blood vessels. Our previous studies have shown that a reduced number of EPCs in the peripheral blood results in cerebral vascular repair disorder, cerebral hypoperfusion and neurodegeneration, which might be related to the cognitive dysfunction of AD patients. This study was designed to confirm whether EPCs transplantation could repair the blood-brain barrier, stimulate angiogenesis and reduce Aß deposition in AD. The expression of ZO-1, Occludin and Claudin-5 was up-regulated in APP/PS1 transgenic mice after hippocampal transplantation of EPCs. Consistent with previous studies, EPC transplants also increased the microvessel density. We observed that Aß senile plaque deposition was decreased and hippocampal cell apoptosis was reduced after EPCs transplantation. The Morris water maze test showed that spatial learning and memory functions were significantly improved in mice transplanted with EPCs. Consequently, EPCs could up-regulate the expression of tight junction proteins, repair BBB tight junction function, stimulate angiogenesis, promote Aß clearance, and decrease neuronal loss, ultimately improve cognitive function. Taken together, these data demonstrate EPCs may play an important role in the therapeutic implications for vascular dysfunction in AD.

Linking late cognitive outcome with glioma surgery location using resection cavity maps.

Patients with a diffuse glioma may experience cognitive decline or improvement upon resective surgery. To examine the impact of glioma location, cognitive alteration after glioma surgery was quantified and related to voxel-based resection probability maps. A total of 59 consecutive patients (range 18-67 years of age) who had resective surgery between 2006 and 2011 for a supratentorial nonenhancing diffuse glioma (grade I-III, WHO 2007) were included in this observational cohort study. Standardized neuropsychological examination and MRI were obtained before and after surgery. Intraoperative stimulation mapping guided resections towards neurological functions (language, sensorimotor function, and visual fields). Maps of resected regions were constructed in standard space. These resection cavity maps were compared between patients with and without new cognitive deficits (z-score difference >1.5 SD between baseline and one year after resection), using a voxel-wise randomization test and calculation of false discovery rates. Brain regions significantly associated with cognitive decline were classified in standard cortical and subcortical anatomy. Cognitive improvement in any domain occurred in 10 (17%) patients, cognitive decline in any domain in 25 (42%), and decline in more than one domain in 10 (17%). The most frequently affected subdomains were attention in 10 (17%) patients and information processing speed in 9 (15%). Resection regions associated with decline in more than one domain were predominantly located in the right hemisphere. For attention decline, no specific region could be identified. For decline in information speed, several regions were found, including the frontal pole and the corpus callosum. Cognitive decline after resective surgery of diffuse glioma is prevalent, in particular, in patients with a tumor located in the right hemisphere without cognitive function mapping.

Epileptologist's view: Laser interstitial thermal ablation for treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy.

A procedure called laser interstitial thermal ablation has been utilized to treat drug resistant epilepsy. With this technique, a probe is stereotactically inserted into a target structure responsible for seizures, such as mesial temporal lobe, hypothalamic hamartoma, or a small malformation of cortical development, and the tip is then heated by application of laser energy to ablate structures adjacent to the probe tip. This procedure has the advantage of selectively targeting small lesions responsible for seizures, and is far less invasive than open surgery with shorter hospitalization, less pain, and rapid return to normal activities. Initial results in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy are promising, with perhaps half of patients becoming free of seizures after the procedure. Neuropsychological deficits appear to be reduced because of the smaller volume of ablated cortex in contrast to large resections. More research must be done to establish optimal targeting of structures for ablation and selection of candidates for surgery, and more patients must be studied to better establish efficacy and adverse effect rates.

Neuropsychologist's (re-)view: Resective versus ablative amygdalohippocampectomies.

Pharmacoresistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) represents the major indication for epilepsy surgery. Since epilepsy surgery is an elective treatment option, preserving cognition is a high priority. Given the essential role of temporomesial structures in declarative long-term memory formation, surgical treatment for mTLE is primarily associated with a risk of material-specific memory decline, but other cognitive domains may be affected as well. The major determinants for the neuropsychological outcome are the functional integrity of surgically affected tissues, the functional reserve capacities of the remnant brain, the postoperative seizure outcome, as well as the quantitative and qualitative changes of antiepileptic drugs. Anterior temporal lobectomy has long been the standard procedure for treating mTLE. However, if an exclusive mesial pathology is present, then functional non-pathological tissues of the temporal pole and neocortex are sacrificed. As a result, more selective or tailored surgical approaches have been developed which strive towards minimizing iatrogenic effects. However, whether or not these approaches are equipotential with regard to seizure control is still a matter of debate. The quality of the presurgical diagnostics could also be decisive. Selective surgery should indeed be selective in terms of preventing evitable collateral cortical damage along the approach. Invasivity and risks of collateral damage associated with "open" selective resective surgery are further minimized by stereotactic ablative surgery via thermocoagulation, or eventually even eliminated by gamma knife surgery. From a neuropsychological point of view, this development is consequent and desirable, but no clear scientific evidence of a superior cognitive outcome after radiosurgery or thermocoagulation currently exists. The studies that are available contain significant methodological limitations. Thus, randomized head-to-head cognitive outcome studies of competing selective procedures are needed, which should meet the minimum requirements for study design and neuropsychological evaluations. Finally, none of the surgical treatment variants can systematically prevent memory decline when the hippocampus is targeted.

MRI-Guided stereotactic laser ablation for epilepsy surgery: Promising preliminary results for cognitive outcome.

Cognitive outcome data are reviewed with respect to the use of magnetic-resonance guided stereotactic laser ablation (SLA) as an epilepsy surgical procedure, with comparisons drawn to traditional open resection procedures. Cognitive outcome with stereotactic laser amygdalohippocampotomy (SLAH) appears better than open resection for several functions dependent on extra-mesial temporal lobe (TL) structures, including category-related naming, verbal fluency, and object/familiar person recognition. Preliminary data suggests episodic, declarative verbal memory can decline following SLAH in the language dominant hemisphere, although early findings suggest comparable or even superior outcomes compared with open resection. The hippocampus has long been considered a central structure supporting episodic, declarative memory, with epilepsy surgical teams attempting to spare it whenever possible. However, ample data from animal and human neuroscience research suggests declarative memory deficits are greater following broader mesial TL lesions that include parahippocampal gyrus and lateral TL inputs. Therefore, employing a neurosurgical technique that restricts the surgical lesion zone holds promise for achieving a better cognitive outcome. Focal SLA lesions outside of the amygdalohippocampal complex may impair select cognitive functions, although few data have been published in such patients to date. SLA is being effectively employed with adults and children with TL or lesional epilepsies across several U.S. epilepsy centers, which may simultaneously optimize cognitive outcome while providing a curative treatment for seizures.

Minimally Invasive Transpalpebral Endoscopic-Assisted Amygdalohippocampectomy.

BACKGROUND: Although anterior temporal lobectomy may be a definitive surgical treatment for epileptic patients with mesial temporal sclerosis, it often results in verbal, visual, and cognitive dysfunction. Studies have consistently reported the advantages of selective procedures compared with a standard anterior temporal lobectomy, mainly in terms of neuropsychological outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To describe a new technique to perform a selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SAH) through a transpalpebral approach with endoscopic assistance. METHODS: A mini fronto-orbitozygomatic craniotomy through an eyelid incision was performed in 8 patients. Both a microscope and neuroendoscope were used in the surgeries. An anterior SAH was performed in 5 patients who had the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial temporal sclerosis. One patient had a mesial temporal lesion suggesting a ganglioglioma. Two patients presented mesial temporal cavernomas with seizures originating from the temporal lobe. RESULTS: The anterior approach allowed removal of the amygdala and hippocampus. The image-guided system and postoperative evaluation confirmed that the amygdala may be accessed and completely removed through this route. The hippocampus was partially resected. All patients have discontinued medication with no more epileptic seizures. The patients with cavernomas and ganglioglioma also had their lesions completely removed. One-year follow-up has shown no visible scars. CONCLUSION: The anterior route for SAH is a rational and direct approach to the mesial temporal lobe. Anterior SAH is a safe, less invasive procedure that provides early identification of critical vascular and neural structures in the basal cisterns. The transpalpebral approach provides a satisfactory cosmetic outcome.

Overt hepatic encephalopathy impairs learning on the EncephalApp stroop which is reversible after liver transplantation.

After an initial exposure, patients can develop test-taking/learning strategies called the "test sophistication effect." Patients with cirrhosis with prior overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) could have persistent learning impairments. The aim was to define learning/test sophistication on EncephalApp (downloadable application) in OHE patients compared with patients without prior overt hepatic encephalopathy (no-OHE) patients and controls cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The EncephalApp Stroop App consists of 2 sections: the easier "Off" run assesses psychomotor speed while the difficult "On" run assesses cognitive flexibility. For the cross-sectional analysis, outpatients with cirrhosis with/without controlled OHE and healthy controls underwent EncephalApp testing, which requires 5 Off and 5 On runs. We studied the difference in time required between completing trial 1 compared with trial 5 (delta 1-5) in both the On and Off runs in controls, all patients with cirrhosis, and between prior OHE/no-OHE patients with cirrhosis. For the longitudinal analyses, 2 groups of patients with cirrhosis were studied; 1 was administered the EncephalApp ≥ 2 weeks apart, and the second was administered before and 6 months after liver transplantation. The study included 89 controls and 230 patients with cirrhosis (85 prior OHE; Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, 11) with similar age (64 versus 61 years; P = 0.92). Patients with cirrhosis had impaired EncephalApp total times and impaired learning on the On runs compared with controls. OHE patients had worse EncephalApp times and learning with the On runs compared with no-OHE patients, which persisted in the longitudinal cohort. No differences in learning were seen in the Off runs. After transplant, there was restoration of learning capability with the On runs in the OHE patients. In conclusion, cognitive flexibility tested by the EncephalApp On runs improves over time in healthy controls and no-OHE but not prior OHE. Psychomotor speed remains similar over time. The learning impairment manifested by patients with cirrhosis with OHE is restored after transplant. Liver Transplantation 23 1396-1403 2017 AASLD.

The effect of cranioplasty in cognitive and functional improvement: Experience of post traumatic brain injury inpatient rehabilitation.

To investigate the effect of cranioplasty on rehabilitation of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, 37 patients with TBI were arranged by retrospectively assessment study. Those TBI patients receiving in-hospital rehabilitation in the Department of Rehabilitation in a medical center of South Taiwan from 2010 to 2015 were assigned into two groups: A and B. All patients entered the multidisciplinary holistic in-patient rehabilitation training for about 1 month. Patients in Group A received decompressive craniectomy (DC), patients in Group B received DC and cranioplasty. All assessments were arranged right on admission and before discharge. The functional activity evaluation included muscle power and Barthel index (BI), and cognitive function evaluation, including the Rancho Los Amigo Scale, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Community Mental State Examination (CMSE), and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Screening Test Short Form (LNNBS). The results showed that there were synergetic effects of cranioplasty on post-TBI patients with rehabilitation training, especially in the BI score, and cognitive improvement in CMSE and LNNBS.

Clinical features and evolution of the gelastic seizures-hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome.

Gelastic seizures, usually with onset in early infancy, are the hallmark manifestation of hypothalamic hamartoma. This seizure type is directly generated by hamartoma itself, intrinsically epileptogenic because of its anatomofunctional organization. Other types of seizures, focal or generalized, may appear during the evolution, probably resulting from mechanisms of secondary epileptogenesis. Nevertheless, the clinical expression and the severity of the syndrome, ranging from a focal drug-resistant epilepsy to a catastrophic generalized encephalopathy with severe cognitive and behavioral impairments, depends on the size and the site of attachment of the hamartoma. Early suspicion, timely diagnosis, and appropriate treatment are mandatory to reverse a potential catastrophic evolution of this condition.

Hypothalamic hamartoma: Neuropathology and epileptogenesis.

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HHs) are congenital malformations of the ventral hypothalamus resulting in treatment-resistant epilepsy and are intrinsically epileptogenic for the gelastic seizures that are the hallmark symptom of this disorder. This paper reviews the neuropathologic features of HHs associated with epilepsy, with an emphasis on characterizing neuron phenotypes and an ultimate goal of understanding the cellular model of ictogenesis occurring locally within this tissue. We also present previously unpublished findings on Golgi staining of HH. The microarchitecture of HH is relatively simple, with nodular clusters of neurons that vary in size and abundance with poorly defined boundaries. Approximately 80-90% of HH neurons have an interneuron-like phenotype with small, round soma and short, unbranched processes that lack spines. These neurons express glutamic acid decarboxylase and likely utilize γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as their primary neurotransmitter. They have intrinsic membrane properties that lead to spontaneous pacemaker-like firing activity. The remaining HH neurons are large cells with pleomorphic, often pyramidal, soma and dendrites that are more likely to be branched and have spines. These neurons appear to be excitatory, projection-type neurons, and have the functionally immature behavior of depolarizing and firing in response to GABA ligands. We hypothesize that the irregular neuronal clusters are the functional unit for ictogenesis. Further research to define and characterize these local networks is required to fully understand the cellular mechanisms responsible for gelastic seizures.

Cognition in epilepsy patients with hypothalamic hamartomas.

Many patients with epilepsy caused by hypothalamic hamartomas (HHs) have cognitive impairments during the course of the disease or following neurosurgical treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess cognitive function in these patients, as well as factors influencing preoperative cognitive performance and cognitive outcome after neurosurgical treatment. Using the two largest and most detailed neuropsychology datasets on HH and epilepsy from two centers, we retrospectively report on cognitive functions in 48 patients with structural epilepsy due to HH (mean age ± standard deviation [SD] 20 ± 12 years, range 5-53 years, median 16 years; disease duration mean 17 ± 11 years). Intelligence, verbal learning and recall, and speed and executive functions (processing speed and cognitive flexibility) were assessed before and on average 19 (±11) months after surgery (interstitial radiosurgery: N = 22; neurosurgical resection/disconnection: N = 26). Prior to neurosurgical treatment, 52% of patients showed impaired executive and 62% showed reduced verbal memory functions. A trend for a detrimental effect of higher drug load on cognitive functioning was found. After neurosurgical treatment, intellectual functions for the entire cohort tended to increase. This correlated with improved seizure frequency and decreased number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). However, postoperative outcomes for individual patients were highly variable, with significant deteriorations in 17% (processing speed) to 34% (cognitive flexibility and verbal learning), and performance increases in 17% (intellectual functioning) up to 39% (processing speed) of the patients. Higher levels of presurgical performance were significant predictors of cognitive decline after surgery. These results are highly relevant for patient consultation and may help with therapeutic decisions.