Hippocampal atrophy and memory dysfunction in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a well-defined idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) syndrome, being the most common IGE in adults and accounting for 5-11% of patients with epilepsy. While neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have discussed the thalamofrontal dysfunction as the major pathophysiologic mechanism of JME, investigation on memory is scarce in patients with JME, with lack of objective assessments addressing common complaints and daily difficulties such as recalling telephone numbers, messages to pass on, and taking antiepileptic drugs regularly. The aim of this study was to objectively assess memory deficits in a group of patients with JME using neuropsychological examination combined with structural MRI of the hippocampi. After informed consent, a cohort of 56 consecutive patients with JME (29 males; mean age ± SD = 26.5 ± 9.01 years; range = 14.0-55.0 years) was included. The control group consisted of 42 healthy volunteers (18 males; mean age ± SD = 31.0 ± 8.54 years; range=20.0-56.0 years) without a family history of neuropsychiatric disorders. Patients and controls were submitted to a MRI and to a neuropsychological assessment, and comparisons between groups were performed, as well as a correlation study between hippocampal atrophy and neuropsychological performance in a group of patients with JME. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Significant hippocampal atrophy among patients with JME was observed, which was correlated with memory dysfunctions. The present findings reinforce the existence of functional-anatomic ictogenic networks that are not limited to frontal lobes, providing further support towards the concept of 'system epilepsies' in JME.

Neuropsychological profile of patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a controlled study of 50 patients.

The purpose of this study was to verify possible cognitive dysfunction in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) and its relationship to factors related to epilepsy and schooling. Fifty subjects diagnosed with JME and 50 controls underwent neuropsychological assessment evaluating intellectual functions, attention, memory, executive functions, and language. The patients were further divided into two subgroups on the basis of educational level: < or = 11 and >11 years of formal education. Participants diagnosed with JME scored significantly below age-, education-, and gender-matched controls on neuropsychological measures of attention, immediate verbal memory, mental flexibility, control of inhibition, working memory, processing speed, verbal delayed memory, visual delayed memory, naming, and verbal fluency. A positive correlation was observed between duration of epilepsy and cognitive decline. However, in the group of patients with >11 years of education, this correlation was not significant. In this series of patients with JME, neuropsychological evaluation suggests widespread cognitive dysfunction outside the limits of the frontal lobes. The duration of epilepsy correlated with cognitive decline, and patients with higher education manifested less progression of deficits.

Desempenho cognitivo de pacientes com epilepsia do lobo temporal e epilepsia mioclônica juvenil: avaliação por meio da Escala WAIS-III / Cognitive performance of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: evaluation through the Wechsler Intelligence Scale WAIS-III

OBJETIVOS: Comparar os resultados em uma prova cognitiva de pacientes com epilepsia com dois parâmetros: um fornecido pelas normas brasileiras e outro pelas norte-americanas, tendo em vista as diferenças culturais. MÉTODO: Quarenta e cinco pacientes adultos com diagnóstico de epilepsia foram submetidos à avaliação de nível intelectual por meio da Escala Wechsler de Inteligência, WAIS-III nos seguintes itens: Quociente de Inteligência Verbal (QI V), Quociente de Inteligência de Execução (QI E) e Quociente de Inteligência Total (QI T). As correções dos protocolos seguiram as normas brasileiras e as norte-americanas. RESULTADOS: Dos 45 pacientes, 30 tinham o diagnóstico de epilepsia do lobo temporal (ELT) por esclerose mesial temporal (EMT), 15 no hemisfério esquerdo e 15 no direito, e 15 de epilepsia mioclônica juvenil (EMJ). Em todos os 45 protocolos do WAIS-III os resultados de QI V, QI E e QI T foram maiores quando empregados os parâmetros brasileiros. Assim, 18 pacientes que alcançaram QI T nas faixas "Média" e "Média Inferior", segundo as normas brasileiras, obtiveram níveis inferiores quando corrigidos pelas normas norte-americanas, ou seja, o QI T destes mesmos pacientes caiu para as faixas "Limítrofe" e "Muito Rebaixado" respectivamente. Nos pacientes com ELT, as diferenças de pontos entre os QI V e QI E não foram concordantes quando cotejados por normas diferentes e em cinco deles o desempenho verbal foi maior do que o motor quando corrigidos pelas normas norte-americanas. Nos pacientes com EMJ, os valores do QI V e QI E foram maiores quando empregadas normas brasileiras. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados da avaliação cognitiva pelo WAIS-III de pacientes com epilepsia mostram que a interpretação do nível intelectual é muito distinta quando corrigida segundo normas brasileiras ou norte-americanas. Há também diferença na análise qualitativa do desempenho intelectual, uma vez que o estudo das discrepâncias internas variou conforme a norma populacional utilizada.

To compare the results of a cognitive task of patients with epilepsy with two parameters: one provided by the Brazilian and the other by the US normative scores viewing the cultural differences. METHOD: Forty-five adult patients diagnosed with epilepsy were submitted to intellectual evaluation through the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, WAIS-III, in the following items: Verbal Intelligence Quotient (V IQ), Performance Intelligence Quotient (P IQ) and Full Scale (FS IQ). The correction of the protocols followed the Brazilian and the US normative scores. RESULTS: Thirty out of the 45 patients were diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) due to mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), 15 in the left hemisphere and 15 in the right, and 15 with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). In all 45 WAIS protocols the results of the V IQ, P IQ and FS IQ were higher when the Brazilian parameters were employed. Therefore, 18 patients that achieved FS IQ in the "Average" and "Low Average" ranges, according to the Brazilian normative scores, got lower levels when corrected by the US normative scores, that is, the FS IQ of these 18 patients fell to the æBorderlineÆ and æExtremely LowÆ ranges respectively. In the patients with TLE, the differences in the scores between the V IQ and P IQ did not correspond when evaluated by different normative scores and in five of them the verbal was higher than the performance when corrected by the US normative scores. In the patients with JME, the values of V IQ and P IQ were higher when the Brazilian normative scores were employed. CONCLUSION: The results of the cognitive evaluation through the WAIS of patients with epilepsy showed that interpretation of the intellectual level is very dissimilar when corrected by the Brazilian or US normative scores. There is also a difference in the qualitative analysis of the intellectual performance since the study of the inner discrepancy varied according the population normative scores employed.

Efeitos adversos das drogas antiepilépticas e sintomas depressivos: qual a sua importância no tratamento clínico das epilepsias? / Side events of antiepileptic drugs and depression symptoms: what is the importance in clinical treatment?

A identificação de sintomas depressivos e eventos das drogas antiepiléticas (DAE) deveria ser um dos mais importantes aspectos do cuidado aos pacientes em tratamento clínico para epilepsia. Os inventários de Beck para depressão (BDI) e o Adverse Event Profile (EVP) para verificar a ocorrência de efeitos adversos das DAE, por serem rápidos e de fácil aplicação, permitem avaliar em poucos minutos e precocemente sintomas de depressão e toxicidade da medicação. Avaliar sintomas de depressão e efeitos adversos das DAE. Correlacionar as variáveis depressão, eventos adversos e frequência de crises. Quarenta apcientes atendidos a nível ambulatorial, sendo vinte com epilepsia do lobo temporal com esclerose mesial (grupo 1) e vinte com epilepsia mioclônica juvenil (grupo 2) responderam ao AEP, ao BDI e ainda a uma breve entrevista para aquisição de dados demográficos e clínicos. A associação medicamentosa mais utilizada no primeiro grupo foi carbamazepina ou oxcabazepina (95 por cento) e clobazam (80 por cento) e o efeito adverso mais comum nesse grupo foi a dificuldade de memória. No segundo, 70 por cento faziam uso de valproato em monoterapia. Distúrbios grastrointestinais foi o evento adverso mais relatado. A utilização do BDI permitiu identificar sintomas depressivos em 30 por cento dos pacientes com epilepsia do lobo temporal com esclerose mesial e em 70 por cento no grupo com epilepsia mioclônica juvenil. Não houve correlação estatisticamente significante entre as variáveis depressão, efeitos adversos das DAE e frequência de crises. O uso sistemático de inventários de fácil manuseio e validados para o nosso país permitiria identificar problemas importantes, que afetam negativamente a vida das pessoas com epilepsia. Epilepsias generalizadas idiopáticas não apresentam curso benigno