title: Clinical, neuropsychological, and metabolic characteristics of transient epileptic amnesia syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is a recently individualized syndrome occurring in adult patients that includes epileptic seizures with amnestic features and interictal memory disturbances.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the clinical, neuropsychological, and 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) features of 30 consecutive cases of TEA in our center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of onset of amnestic seizures was 59 years. Pure acute amnesia was the only epileptic manifestation in 17% of cases. Interictal electroencephalography (EEG) abnormalities were present in 57% on awake recording and in most patients in whom sleep EEG was performed (96%). Nine of 30 patients showed anterograde memory deficit and six of 30 exhibited mild executive functioning impairment. On the autobiographical memory interview (AMI), patients showed a significant deficit for the recent period of the episodic subscale. Outcome under treatment was favorable in the majority of cases. A significant improvement was noted on recollection of autobiographical memory. 18F-FDG-PET (22 cases) showed positive correlations between left mesial temporal metabolism levels and anterograde and retrograde memory scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TEA is an emerging epileptic syndrome that likely remains misidentified and misdiagnosed. Neurometabolic data support a dysfunction of a hippocampal-neocortical network sustaining episodic memory.
authors.affiliation: Henri Gastaut/ Hospital, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Amel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mosbah
authors.affiliation: Neurology and Neuropsychology Department, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Eve
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tramoni
authors.affiliation: Biophysics and Nuclear Medicine Department, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France.|School of Medicine, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guedj
authors.affiliation: Henri Gastaut/ Hospital, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.affiliation: Henri Gastaut/ Hospital, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Géraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daquin
authors.affiliation: Neurology and Neuropsychology Department, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France.|School of Medicine, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.|INSERM, U1106, Brain Dynamic Institute, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ceccaldi
authors.affiliation: Neurology and Neuropsychology Department, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France.|School of Medicine, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.|INSERM, U1106, Brain Dynamic Institute, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Félician
authors.affiliation: Henri Gastaut/ Hospital, Marseille, France.|School of Medicine, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.|INSERM, U1106, Brain Dynamic Institute, Marseille, France.|Clinical Neurophysiology Department, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bartolomei
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020324:Amnesia, Anterograde / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014888:Wechsler Scales
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Accelerated forgetting; Amnesia; EEG; Epilepsy; Episodic memory; FDG-PET