Memory In Children With Symptomatic Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

In children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), memory deficit is not so well understood as it is in adults. The aim of this study was to identify and describe memory deficits in children with symptomatic TLE, and to verify the influence of epilepsy variables on memory. We evaluated 25 children with TLE diagnosed on clinical, EEG and MRI findings. Twenty-five normal children were compared with the patients. All children underwent a neuropsychological assessment to estimate intellectual level, attention, visual perception, handedness, and memory processes (verbal and visual: short-term memory, learning, and delayed recall). The results allowed us to conclude: besides memory deficits, other neuropsychological disturbances may be found in children with TLE such as attention, even in the absence of overall cognitive deficit; the earlier onset of epilepsy, the worse verbal stimuli storage; mesial lesions correlate with impairment in memory storage stage while neocortical temporal lesions correlate with retrieval deficits.72184-

Frontal lobe disfunction in children and adolescents with temporal lobe epilepsy and possible correlation with psychiatric disorders

Introduction: There is evidence that individuals with certain types of epilepsy may present cognitive disorders, and that these disorders can be more debilitating than seizures proper. Frontal lobe disorders are reported in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy, carachterized by executive disfunction. Rationale: Literary revision of work concerning the occurence of frontal lobe dysfunction in children and adolescents with temporal lobe epilepsy. Methods: Systematic revision of published literature in PUBMED. Results: Frontal lobe dysfunction has been poorly studied in children with epilepsy, especially in temporal lobe epilepsy. In the only study on the subject, executive deficit was demonstrated. Moreover, children with mesial sclerosis had more deficit in execution/planning than those with frontal or temporal neocortical lesions. Presence of frontal lobe dysfunction, in patients with partial and generalized epilepsy, may corroborate evidence that epilepsy and psychiatric disorders are epiphenomena and not cause effect related phenomena. Conclusion: There are few articles on frontal lobe dysfunction in children with temporal lobe epilepsy. It would be interesting to find out if, and how much this occurs, and if patients with distinct etiologies present different levels of functional disability.Introdução: Há evidências de que pessoas com alguns tipos de epilepsia podem apresentar prejuízos cognitivos, sendo que para alguns pacientes, tais déficits cognitivos podem ser mais debilitantes do que suas crises epilépticas. A disfunção do lobo frontal é relatada em adultos com epilepsia do lobo temporal, caracte­rizada pela disfunção executiva. Objetivo: Rever a literatura sobre a ocorrência de disfunção de lobo frontal em crianças e adolescentes com epilepsia do lobo temporal. Métodos: Revisão sistemática da literatura compulsada no PUBMED. Resultados: A disfunção do lobo frontal tem sido pouco estudada em crianças com epilepsia, em especial com epilepsia do lobo temporal. No único estudo sobre este assunto, demonstrou­se que há um déficit executivo, sendo que as crianças com esclerose mesial têm maiores déficits de execução/ planejamento do que aquelas com lesões neocorticais temporais ou frontais. A presença de uma disfunção do lobo frontal nos pacientes com epilepsia parcial e generalizada pode corroborar as evidências de que epilepsia e transtorno psiquiátrico são epifenômenos e não fenômenos com relação causa efeito. Conclu­sões: Há uma escassez de artigos sobre a disfunção do lobo frontal em crianças com epilepsia do lobo tempo­ral, sendo de interesse saber se esta ocorre e se pacientes com etiologias distintas apresentam diferentes graus de comprometimento destas funções.13113

Aluminum-Induced Entropy in Biological Systems: Implications for Neurological Disease

Over the last 200 years, mining, smelting, and refining of aluminum (Al) in various forms have increasingly exposed living species to this naturally abundant metal. Because of its prevalence in the earth’s crust, prior to its recent uses it was regarded as inert and therefore harmless. However, Al is invariably toxic to living systems and has no known beneficial role in any biological systems. Humans are increasingly exposed to Al from food, water, medicinals, vaccines, and cosmetics, as well as from industrial occupational exposure. Al disrupts biological self-ordering, energy transduction, and signaling systems, thus increasing biosemiotic entropy. Beginning with the biophysics of water, disruption progresses through the macromolecules that are crucial to living processes (DNAs, RNAs, proteoglycans, and proteins). It injures cells, circuits, and subsystems and can cause catastrophic failures ending in death. Al forms toxic complexes with other elements, such as fluorine, and interacts negatively with mercury, lead, and glyphosate. Al negatively impacts the central nervous system in all species that have been studied, including humans. Because of the global impacts of Al on water dynamics and biosemiotic systems, CNS disorders in humans are sensitive indicators of the Al toxicants to which we are being exposed

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: The impact of clinical variables and psychiatric disorders on executive profile assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery

Executive dysfunction is reported in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). However, batteries employed in previous studies included no more than three tests of executive function. In this study, we aimed to assess executive and attentional functions in JME using a comprehensive battery of eight tests (encompassing fifteen subtests). We also evaluated neuropsychological profiles using a clinical criterion of severity and correlated these findings with epilepsy clinical variables and the presence of psychiatric disorders. We prospectively evaluated 42 patients with JME and a matched control group with Digit Span tests (forward and backward), Stroop Color-Word Test, Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test, Matching Familiar Figures Test and Word Fluency Test. We estimated IQ with the Matrix Reasoning and Vocabulary subtests of the Wechsler Abbreviated Intelligence Scale. The patients with JME showed specific deficits in working memory, inhibitory control, concept formation, goal maintenance, mental flexibility, and verbal fluency. We observed attentional deficits in processes such as alertness and attention span and those requiring sustained and divided attention. We found that 83.33% of the patients had moderate or severe executive dysfunction. In addition, attentional and executive impairment was correlated with higher frequency of seizures and the presence of psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, executive dysfunction correlated with a longer duration of epilepsy. Our findings indicate the need for comprehensive neuropsychological batteries in patients with JME, in order to provide a more extensive evaluation of attentional and executive functions and to show that some relevant deficits have been overlooked. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.CNPqCNPq [307262/2011-1]FAPESPFAPESP [05/56464-9][07/52110-3