title: The effects of temporal lobe epilepsy on scene encoding.
abstract: Forty-four patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) (25 left) and 40 healthy control participants performed a complex visual scene-encoding fMRI task in a 4-T Varian scanner. Healthy controls and left temporal lobe epilepsy (LTLE) patients demonstrated symmetric activation during scene encoding. In contrast, right temporal lobe (RTLE) patients demonstrated left lateralization of scene encoding which differed significantly from healthy controls and LTLE patients (all p≤.05). Lateralization of scene encoding to the right hemisphere among LTLE patients was associated with inferior verbal memory performance as measured by neuropsychological testing (WMS-III Logical Memory Immediate, p = 0.049; WMS-III Paired Associates Immediate, p = 0.036; WMS-III Paired Associates Delayed, p = 0.047). In RTLE patients, left lateralization of scene encoding was associated with lower visuospatial memory performance (BVRT, p = 0.043) but improved verbal memory performance (WMS-III Word List, p = 0.049). These findings indicate that, despite the negative effects of epilepsy, memory functioning is better supported by the affected hemisphere than the hemisphere contralateral to the seizure focus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. bigrasca@mail.uc.edu
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bigras
authors.forename: Paula K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Shear
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vannest
authors.forename: Jane B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Allendorfer
authors.forename: Jerzy P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Szaflarski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen