Abstracts

Rationale: This study determined if children with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) fronto-temporal brain volumes compared to age and gender matched children without epilepsy. It also examined the association of these volumes with seizure, demographic, IQ, perinatal, and psychopathology variables. Methods: Twenty six CAE children, aged 7.5 - 11.8 years, and 37 normal children underwent brain MRI scans at 1.5 Tesla. Tissue was segmented and total brain, frontal lobe, frontal parcellation and temporal lobe volumes were computed. All children had IQ testing and structured psychiatric interviews. Parents provided seizure, perinatal, and behavioral information on each child. Results: The CAE group had significantly smaller gray matter volumes of the left orbital frontal gyrus as well as both left and right temporal lobes compared to the age and gender matched normal children. In the CAE group these volumes were related to age, gender, ethnicity, and pregnancy complications but not to seizure, IQ, and psychopathology variables. In the normal group, however, they were related to IQ. Conclusions: These volumetric abnormalities imply that CAE is not a benign disorder. Their localization in brain regions implicated in behavior, cognition, and language suggest a possible biological basis for the co-morbidities of CAE.