Hippocampal volume in childhood complex partial seizures.
OBJECTIVE
This study compared hippocampal volume in children with cryptogenic epilepsy, all of whom had complex partial seizures (CPS), and age and gender matched normal children controlling for between group differences in IQ and demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status). It also examined the relationship between hippocampal volumes and seizure variables in the patients.


METHODS
Using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we compared the hippocampal volumes of 19 medically treated children with CPS, aged 6-14 years, to 21 age and gender matched normal children.


RESULTS
The children with CPS had significantly smaller total hippocampal volumes than the normal children. This finding was accounted for primarily by significantly smaller anterior hippocampal volumes. Within the CPS group, smaller total and posterior hippocampus volumes were significantly associated with longer duration of illness. Anterior hippocampal volumes, however, were unrelated to seizure variables.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings imply impaired development of the hippocampus, particularly the anterior hippocampus, and a differential effect of the underlying illness and on-going seizures on hippocampal development in medically controlled pediatric CPS.
Daley
Melita
M
UCLA Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, Semel Institute, Rm. 48-253B, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1759, USA. mdaley@mednet.ucla.edu
Ott
Derek
D
Blanton
Rebecca
R
Siddarth
Prabha
P
Levitt
Jennifer
J
Mormino
Elizabeth
E
Hojatkashani
Cornelius
C
Tenorio
Raquel
R
Gurbani
Suresh
S
Shields
W Donald
WD
Sankar
Raman
R
Toga
Arthur
A
Caplan
Rochelle
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D017029:Epilepsy, Complex Partial / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009929:Organ Size; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors