Abstracts

Rationale: Depression is the most common psychiatric co-morbidity in patients with epilepsy (PWE). In patients with primary major depressive disorders, a 10% to 20% decrease in the hippocampal volume has been identified. Hippocampal atrophy has also been found in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Previous studies evaluating hippocampal volumes in PWE and depression suggest a possible association between hippocampal atrophy and depression Methods: 23 PWE who had a brain MRI with 3-D coronal MP-RAGE sequences underwent an interview where the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDIE) were administered. Manual quantitative volumetric analysis of bilateral hippocampal formations was performed blindly to the epilepsy and psychiatric data. Descriptive statistical analysis was used Results: Among the 23 patients 15 were males and eight females, with a mean age of 37+/- years. Fourteen patients (60%) had temporal lobe epilepsy. Major depression disorder (MDD) was identified in six (26%) patients of whom four (66%) had decreased hippocampal volumes when compared to healthy controls. Among the 17 patients without MDD, 10 (43%) had decreased hippocampal volumes (p = ns). Among the 14 PWE with decreased hippocampal volumes, bilateral atrophy was found in six, one of whom had MDD and unilateral in 8, three of whom had MDD Conclusions: In this pilot study, MDD was not associated with unilateral or bilateral hippocampal atrophy in PWE. A larger sample is necessary to further support the findings of this study Funding: n/a