Brain morphology alterations in the basal ganglia and the hypothalamus following prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs.
If humans are exposed prenatally to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), cognitive impairment may be the consequence. Driven by results of experimental work showing that AEDs may induce neuronal death in the developing rodent brain, we wanted to explore whether prenatal exposure to AEDs (PAE) may result in structural changes in the human brain. For this purpose we investigated a group of healthy young adults with PAE and a group of age-matched unexposed healthy controls by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Local differences in cerebral morphology associated with PAE were analysed in volumetric MRI data by use of voxelwise comparisons of grey and white matter images. Significant regional decreases of grey matter volumes were found in PAE subjects in the area of the lentiform nucleus, including both pallidum and putamen bilaterally, and the hypothalamus. No significant regional differences in white matter volumes were found. We conclude that PAE causes subtle morphological changes in grey matter of the human brain which are conform with lower cell numbers in the basal ganglia and the hypothalamus.
Ikonomidou
Chrysanthy
C
Department of Pediatric Neurology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany. hrissanthi.ikonomidou@uniklinikum-dresden.de
Scheer
Ianina
I
Wilhelm
Tabea
T
Juengling
Freimut D
FD
Titze
Karl
K
Stöver
Brigitte
B
Lehmkuhl
Ulrike
U
Koch
Sabine
S
Kassubek
Jan
J
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000473:pathology*
D000927:Anticonvulsants