Infant febrile seizures: changes in declarative memory as revealed by event-related potentials.
OBJECTIVE
According to a widespread opinion the vast majority of infant febrile seizures (IFS) are harmless. However, IFS are often associated with hippocampal sclerosis, which should lead to deficient episodic memory with spared context-free semantic memories. Although IFS represent the most common convulsive disorder in children, these consequences are rarely examined.


METHODS
We measured the hippocampal volume of 17 IFS children (7-9 years old) and an age-matched control group on the basis of MR images. Furthermore, we examined episodic and semantic memory performance with standardized neuropsychological tests. Two processes underlying recognition memory, namely familiarity and recollection, were assessed by means of event-related potentials (ERP).


RESULTS
The IFS children did not show a decreased hippocampus volume. Intelligence, working memory, semantic and episodic memory were intact. However, ERP indices of recognition memory subprocesses revealed deficits in recollection-based remembering that presumably relies on the integrity of the hippocampus, whereas familiarity-based remembering seemed to be intact.


CONCLUSIONS
Although hippocampus volume remains unaffected, IFS seems to induce functional changes in the MTL memory network, characterized by a compensation of recollection by familiarity-based remembering.


CONCLUSIONS
This study significantly adds to the debate on the consequences of IFS by differentiating the impact on memory processing.
Kipp
Kerstin H
KH
Experimental Neuropsychology Unit, University of the Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany. k.kipp@mx.uni-saarland.de
Mecklinger
Axel
A
Becker
Martina
M
Reith
Wolfgang
W
Gortner
Ludwig
L
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D012660:Semantics; D013997:Time Factors