Decline in Verbal Memory Associated with Duration of Epilepsy: An Intracarotid Amobarbital Study.
Background. Many patients with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) observe that their memory has declined over time, but objective evidence for this is scant.Method. Verbal memory scores were obtained during amobarbital injection of the right carotid artery in 30 right-handed patients with right mesial temporal sclerosis and unilateral right temporal lobe seizures. These were compared with duration of epilepsy and seizure frequency. An estimate of the total number of lifetime seizures was formed by multiplying epilepsy duration by seizure frequency.Results. Verbal memory function in the left temporal lobe was negatively associated with longer duration of epilepsy (P < 0.05). There was a strong negative correlation between verbal memory and increased lifetime number of seizures (P < 0.01).Conclusion. This study provides evidence that seizures arising in the right temporal lobe lead to progressive dysfunction of memory functions in the contralateral side.
Blum
David
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