Left-sided EEG focus and positive psychiatric family history are independent risk factors for affective disorders in temporal lobe epilepsy.
OBJECTIVE
To identify independent risk factors for affective disorders in temporal lobe epilepsy.


METHODS
We studied 97 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) exploring variables like age, gender, family history of epilepsy and psychiatric disorders, duration of epilepsy, control of seizures, presence of aura and initial precipitant insult, abuse of substances, neuroimaging and EEG features.


RESULTS
Forty-one patients (42.3% of the total population) had affective disorders. A positive family history of psychiatric disorders (O.R.=3.8; p=0.003) and interictal EEG epileptiform discharges involving the left temporal lobe (O.R.=2.9; p=0.041) were significantly associated with an increased risk for an affective disorder. These associations remained significant after logistic regression, confirming the independent effects of the risk factors observed. Moreover, a binary logistic regression model obtained was able to correctly predict presence or absence of a life-time affective disorder in 71.1% of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
This study points out that a positive family history of psychiatric disorders and interictal EEG epileptiform discharges involving the left temporal lobe are isolated risk factors for affective disorders in TLE. Our results suggest that biological factors are crucial for affective disorders development in TLE. Further studies are necessary to better specify the genetic and anatomical substracts involved and how they come together to generate affective disorders in those patients.
Bragatti
José Augusto
JA
Division of Neurology, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil. jbragatti@hcpa.ufrgs.br
Torres
Carolina Machado
CM
Assmann
Juliana Bohn
JB
Fontana
Vivian
V
Rigotti
Clarice Pereira
CP
Hidalgo
Maria Paz Loayza
MP
Chaves
Márcia Lorena Fagundes
ML
Bianchin
Marino Muxfeldt
MM
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018579:Patient Selection; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors