Neuropsychological Characteristics of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Lesion Laterality-Sex Interaction.
Abstract number :
3.054
Submission category :
Year :
2001
Submission ID :
208
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2001, 06:00 AM
Authors :
S-A. Lee, MD, Neurology, Ulsan University, Seoul, Korea; S-B. Yim, MD, Neurology, Ulsan University, Seoul, Korea; S-K. Lee, MD, Neurology, Ulsan University, Seoul, Korea; J-K. Kang, MD, Neurology, Ulsan University, Seoul, Korea; H-J. Yoo, PhD, Psychiatry,
RATIONALE: We investigated the effects of lesion laterality and sex on preoperative neuropsychological dysfunction in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy(MTLE).
METHODS: The consecutive 89 patients (female 46) with MTLE (left 46) were included in the study. All patients fulfilled the following criterias; 1) the standard anterior temporal lobectomy was performed and then the patient became seizure-free at least for 1 year postoperatively, 2) mesial temporal sclerosis was confirmed by pathology, 3) language dominancy on left hemisphere was confirmed by WADA test. The neuropsychological tests including Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale(n=89), Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R)(n=89), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)(n=47), and Color Trails Test (CTT)(n=49) were performed preoperatively. Each variable of neuropsychological tests was analyzed with regard to laterality-sex interaction.
RESULTS: 1) General memory, verbal memory, and delayed recall of WMS-R and a executive function measured by WCST were significantly decreased in patients with left MTLE comparing to those with right MTLE. However, this laterality effect especially on verbal memory and some variables of WCST including the number of category completed was observed only in female but not in male. 2) Interference index of CTT had a tendency to be increased in the male patients with right MTLE. 3) The intelligence scales were not correlated with the lesion laterality or sex.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that there is more pronounced hemispheric differences in verbal memory function in female. The results raise the possibility that female with left MTLE have a higher risk of memory deterioration after surgery. Further studies need to be done on the executive function, on which the effect of laterality or sex was inconclusive in our study.