True and False Memories: Neuropsychological and Neuropharmacological Approaches

Some recent studies have explored the false memory and its mechanisms. True memories depend on draw in the past, retrieve of the information, remember past events plus recombine (reorganize) them with new information to finally re-encode these elements creating a new memory. But, sometimes failures in this system lead to memory errors collaborating to false memory formation. This chapter will address new neuropsychological tools to evaluate true and false memory performance. Some neuropharmacological aspects as possible mechanisms of agonist and antagonist modulation of false memory will be discussed

Efeitos de baixo nível de escolaridade no desempenho de adultos saudáveis em um protocolo neuropsicológico sugerido pela Comissão de Neuropsicologia da Liga Brasileira de Epilepsia

OBJECTIVE: To assess cognitive measures and impact of education on cognitive performance (CP) of low educational levels healthy adults (LELHA) on a Neuropsychological Protocol (NP) suggested by the Liga Brasileira de Epilepsia. METHOD: 138 subjects from an Education Program for Adults divided into two, age and gender matched groups of 69 subjects, answered the NP: Group 1 (mean of 6.9±2.95 months of formal education) and Group 2, 47.8±10 months. Data were compared as z-scores. RESULTS: The mean IQ was 77.1±5.50 and 79.4±3.30 in Groups 1 and 2, respectively (p=0.001). Both performed below the normal curve and Group 1 worse than 2. CP correlated with schooling, especially executive functions (54.1% vs 36.2%) and language (52.9% vs 25.7%). CONCLUSION: LELHA showed significant cognitive impairment in verbal and visuospatial areas. If these results had been obtained in epilepsy patients they would be interpreted as global cognitive impairment.OBJETIVO: Avaliar o desempenho cognitivo e o impacto do nível de educação formal em indivíduos adultos saudáveis com baixa escolaridade (IASBE) em um protocolo neuropsicológico (PN) sugerido pela Liga Brasileira de Epilepsia. MÉTODO: 138 indivíduos do programa EJA - Educação para Jovens e Adultos, divididos em 2 grupos de 69 sujeitos pareados por idade e sexo (6,9±2,95 vs 47,8±10 meses de escolaridade) responderam ao PN. Dados foram convertidos em z-scores. RESULTADOS: O QI médio foi 77,1±5,50 e 79,4±3,30 nos Grupos 1 e 2, respectivamente (p=0,001). Ambos tiveram resultados abaixo da curva normal e o Grupo 1 mostrou pior desempenho do que o 2, especialmente nas funções executivas (54,1% vs 36,2%) e linguagem (52,9% vs 25,7%). CONCLUSÃO: IASBE apresentaram comprometimento cognitivo tanto em tarefas verbais como visuoespaciais. Se estes resultados tivessem sido obtidos em pacientes com epilepsia seriam interpretados como indicativos de disfunção cognitiva global.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL

Granule cell dispersion is associated with memory impairment in right mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

Purpose: We analyzed the association of granule cell dispersion (GCD) with memory performance, clinical data and surgical outcome in a series of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MILE) and mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS).Method: Hippocampal specimens from 54 patients with MTLE (27 patients with right MILE and 27 with left MTLE) and unilateral MTS, who were separated into CCD and no-GCD groups and thirteen controls were studied. Quantitative neuropathological evaluation was performed using hippocampal sections stained with NeuN. Patients' neuropsychological measures, clinical data, type of MTS and surgical outcome were reviewed.Results: CCD occurred in 28 (51.9%) patients. No correlation between GCD and MTS pattern, clinical data or surgical outcome was found. the presence of GCD was correlated with worse visuospatial memory performance in right MTLE, but not with memory performance in left MTLE.Conclusion: GCD may be related to memory impairment in right MTLE-MTS patients. However, the role of GCD in memory function is not precisely defined. (c) 2012 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Instituto Nacional de Neurociencia Translacional (INNT), BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, Escola Paulista Med, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilSanta Casa São Paulo, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, BrazilAFIP, Dept Pathol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosci, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, Escola Paulista Med, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosci, Escola Paulista Med, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Serial position curve and semantic facilitation in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy = Curva de posição serial e facilitação semântica em pacientes com epilepsia de lobo temporal mesial = Curva de posición serial y facilitación semantica en pacientes con epilepsia del lóbulo temporal medial

Nós investigamos a curva de posição serial e o efeito de facilitação semântica em pacientes com epilepsia do lobo temporal mesial (ELTM) esquerda e direita com esclerose hipocampal, comparados a um grupo controle. Os sujeitos (ELTM-E = 19, ELTM-D = 15 e controles = 21) foram submetidos ao teste de recordação livre de palavras, sendo que metade das listas de palavras continham três palavras recordadas em ambos tipos de listas não diferiu entre os grupos. A recência foi preservada sugerindo que a memória decurto prazo (alça fonológica) não é afetada nestes pacientes. A primazia foi observada somente nas listas sem relacionamentos semântico, independentemente do grupo. O efeito de facilitação semântica foi obtido em todos os grupos, ma s com menor magnitude ao ELTM-E, sugerindo que a propagação das descargas do hemisfério esquerdo interfere com o processamento automático da rede semântic

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. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias UNIPETE, São Paulo, BrazilHGCR, Ctr Cirurgia Epilepsia Santa Catarina CEPESC, Florianopolis, SC, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Dept Psiquiatria, LiNC, São Paulo, BrazilFac Med Sao Jose do Rio Preto FAMERP, Dept Psiquiatria & Psicol Med, Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Dept Psicobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Dept Diagnost Imagem, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias UNIPETE, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Dept Psiquiatria, LiNC, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Dept Psicobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP EPM, Dept Diagnost Imagem, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Correlation between memory, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and interictal epileptiform discharges in temporal lobe epilepsy related to mesial temporal sclerosis

Objective: the aim of the study described here was to examine the relationship between memory function, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) abnormalities, and interictal epileptiform discharge (IED) lateralization in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) related to unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis.Methods: We assessed performance on tests of memory function and intelligence quotient (IQ) in 29 right-handed outpatients and 24 controls. IEDs were assessed on 30-minute-awake and 30-minute-sleep EEG samples. Patients had (1)H-MRS at 1.5 T.Results: There was a negative correlation between IQ (P = 0.031) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test results (P = 0.022) and epilepsy duration: between (1)H-MRS findings and epilepsy duration (P = 0.027); and between N-acetylaspartate (NAA) levels and IEDs (P = 0.006) in contralateral mesial temporal structures in the left MTS group. (1)H-MRS findings, IEDs, and verbal function were correlated.Conclusions: These findings suggest that IEDs and NAA/(Cho + Cr) ratios reflecting neural metabolism are closely related to verbal memory function in mesial temporal sclerosis. Higher interictal activity on the EEG was associated with a decline in total NAA in contralateral mesial temporal structures. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Neurol, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imaging, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Neurosurg, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Neurol, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imaging, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Neurosurg, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Gastaut type idiopathic childhood occipital epilepsy

Gastaut type idiopathic childhood occipital epilepsy is an uncommon epileptic syndrome characterised by frequent seizures, most commonly presenting as elementary visual hallucinations or blindness. Other occipital (non-visual) symptoms may also occur. Interictal EEG typically shows occipital paroxysms, often with fixation-off sensitivity. Ictal EEG is usually characterised by interruption by paroxysms and sudden appearance of low-voltage, occipital, fast rhythm and/or spikes. Despite well described clinical and EEG patterns, to our knowledge, there are very few reports in the literature with video-EEG recording of either seizure semiology or fixation-off phenomena. We present a video-EEG recording of a 12-year-old girl with Gastaut type epilepsy, illustrating the interictal and ictal aspects of this syndrome. Our aim was to demonstrate the clinical and neurophysiological pattern of a typical seizure of Gastaut type epilepsy, as well as the fixation-off phenomena, in order to further clarify the typical presentation of this syndrome. [Published with video sequences]Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Hosp São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Hosp São Paulo, Dept Imaging Diag, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Hosp São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Hosp São Paulo, Dept Imaging Diag, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc