A pioneering FreeSurfer volumetric study of a series of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis with comorbid depression.

Depression is the most frequent psychiatric comorbidity in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and hippocampal sclerosis (HS). This study aimed to confirm whether patients with comorbid depression have different volumetric patterns on magnetic resonance imaging, analysing the influence of HS sides. Psychiatrists conducted semi-structured interviews with 75 patients, who were divided into non-depression group (NDG, n = 52) and depression group (DG, n = 23), and compared with 98 controls. The FreeSurfer software was used in the volumetric analysis of the estimated total intracranial volume (eTIV), bilateral cortical and subcortical regions of interest (ROIs), and for presence of left (L-, n = 41) or right (R-, n = 34) MTLE-HS. Twenty-three (30.7%) patients had depression, of whom 14 (34.1%) had l-MTLE-HS and 9 (26.5%) had R-MTLE-HS. No difference was observed between DG and NDG vs. controls in terms of eTIV and cortical ROIs, regardless of the severity of depression. In patients with l-MTLE-HS, the eTIV in the DG was reduced in comparison with that in the NDG and control group, with a small effect size. Hippocampal reduction occurred ipsilateral to HS in the l-MTLE-HS and R-MTLE-HS subgroups when DG and NDG were compared with controls, as expected according to Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (2018).

Pre-surgical predictors for psychiatric disorders following epilepsy surgery in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy and mesial temporal sclerosis.

Psychiatric outcomes of patients submitted to epilepsy surgery have gained particular interest given the high prevalence of pre-surgical psychiatric disorders (PD) in this population. The present study aimed to verify the possible pre-surgical predictors for psychiatric disorders following epilepsy surgery in a homogeneous series of patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy and mesial temporal sclerosis (TLE-MTS). Data from 115 TLE-MTS patients (65 females; 56.5%) who underwent cortico-amygdalohippocampectomy were included. Pre- and post-surgical psychiatric evaluations were performed using DSM-IV criteria. Pre-surgical PD - particularly mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders - were diagnosed in 47 patients (40.8%). Twenty-seven patients (54% of those with pre-surgical PD) demonstrated a remission of psychiatric symptoms on post-surgical psychiatric evaluation. Eleven patients (9.6%) developed de novo PD. The presence of pre-surgical depression (OR=3.32; p=0.008), pre-surgical interictal psychosis (OR=4.39; p=0.009) and epileptiform discharges contralateral to the epileptogenic zone (OR=2.73; p=0.01) were risk factors associated with post-surgical PD. Although epilepsy surgery is considered to be the best treatment option for patients with refractory TLE-MTS, the relatively high psychiatric comorbidities observed in surgical candidates and their possible negative impact on post-surgical outcomes require a careful pre-surgical evaluation of clinical, sociodemographic and psychiatric factors.

The involvement of the orbitofrontal cortex in psychiatric disorders: an update of neuroimaging findings / O envolvimento do cortex orbitofrontal em transtornos psiquiátricos: uma atualização dos achados de neuroimagens

OBJECTIVE: To report structural and functional neuroimaging studies exploring the potential role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the pathophysiology of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders (PD). METHOD: A non-systematic literature review was conducted by means of MEDLINE using the following terms as parameters: "orbitofrontal cortex", "schizophrenia", "bipolar disorder", "major depression", "anxiety disorders", "personality disorders" and "drug addiction". The electronic search was done up to July 2011. DISCUSSION: Structural and functional OFC abnormalities have been reported in many PD, namely schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders and drug addiction. Structural magnetic resonance imaging studies have reported reduced OFC volume in patients with schizophrenia, mood disorders, PTSD, panic disorder, cluster B personality disorders and drug addiction. Furthermore, functional magnetic resonance imaging studies using cognitive paradigms have shown impaired OFC activity in all PD listed above. CONCLUSION: Neuroimaging studies have observed an important OFC involvement in a number of PD. However, future studies are clearly needed to characterize the specific role of OFC on each PD as well as understanding its role in both normal and pathological behavior, mood regulation and cognitive functioning.

OBJETIVO: Relatar estudos de neuroimagens estruturais e funcionais explorando o papel potencial do córtex orbitofrontal (COF) na fisiopatologia dos transtornos psiquiátricos (TP) mais prevalentes. MÉTODO: Foi realizada uma revisão não sistemática da literatura no MEDLINE, usando como parâmetros os seguintes termos: "córtex orbitofrontal", "esquizofrenia", "transtorno bipolar", "depressão maior", "transtornos ansiosos", "transtornos de personalidade" e "dependência a drogas". A pesquisa eletrônica foi feita até julho de 2011. DISCUSSÃO: Foram relatadas anormalidades estruturais e funcionais do COF em muitos TP, particularmente esquizofrenia, transtornos afetivos, transtornos ansiosos, transtornos de personalidade e dependência a drogas. Estudos de aquisição de imagens estruturais por ressonância magnética relataram a redução do volume do COF em pacientes portadores de esquizofrenia, transtornos afetivos, TEPT, transtorno do pânico, transtornos de personalidade do grupo B e dependência a drogas. Além disso, estudos de aquisição de imagens funcionais por ressonância magnética empregando paradigmas cognitivos demonstraram alterações na atividade do COF em todos os TP anteriormente relacionados. CONCLUSÃO: Estudos de neuroimagens observaram um envolvimento importante do COF em vários TP. Entretanto, estudos futuros são claramente necessários para caracterizar o papel específico do COF em cada TP, assim como para a compreensão de seu papel tanto no comportamento normal como no patológico, na regulação do humor e no funcionamento cognitivo.

Suicidality in temporal lobe epilepsy: measuring the weight of impulsivity and depression.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the work described here was to measure the role of psychopathological features, specifically impulsivity and depression, in suicidality in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). METHODS: Neuropsychiatric evaluation of 66 outpatients with TLE was performed with the following instruments: a structured clinical interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. RESULTS: A current Axis I psychiatric diagnosis, mainly mood and anxiety disorders, was assigned to 37 subjects (56.1%) Presence of suicide risk was identified in 19 patients (28.8%), and 14 (21.2%) had attempted suicide. Frequency of seizures (P=0.012), current major depression (P=0.001), and motor impulsivity (P=0.005) were associated with suicide risk on univariate analysis. Logistic regression stressed the main relevance of major depression (OR=12.82, 95% CI=2.58-63.76, P=0.002) and motor impulsivity (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.06-1.38, P=0.005) to suicide risk. CONCLUSION: Depression has a major influence on suicidality in epilepsy. Motor impulsivity is also relevant and may be an important component of depression in TLE associated with suicide risk.

Psychiatric comorbidity in patients with two prototypes of focal versus generalized epilepsy syndromes.

The frequency of psychiatric disorders (PD) in a homogeneous series of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial temporal sclerosis (TLE-MTS) compared to patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) was evaluated, aiming to determine the frequency of PD and possible differences in psychiatric diagnoses between these two epileptic syndromes. Data from 248 patients with refractory TLE-MTS and from 124 JME patients were reviewed and compared. There was a high prevalence of PD in both groups of epilepsy patients, present in 100 TLE-MTS (41%) and in 58 JME patients (46.7%). Mood (23.7%), anxiety (13.7%) and psychotic (11.6%) disorders were the most frequent diagnoses in TLE-MTS group, while mood and anxiety disorders (25% and 21%, respectively) were the most common PD among JME. Psychoses were significantly associated with TLE-MTS (p=0.01). These observations are concordant with our previous study, reforcing the existence of a possible anatomic correlation of PD and brain structures involved in both epilepsy syndromes.

The integrity of corpus callosum and cluster B personality disorders: a quantitative MRI study in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

Evidence suggests increased prevalence of cluster B personality disorders (PD) among patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), which has been associated with worse seizure control and more psychosocial dysfunctions. A preliminary voxel-based morphometry study demonstrated corpus callosum (CC) volume reduction in patients with JME and cluster B PD, particularly in the posterior midbody and isthmus. In this study we aimed to follow up these results with region of interest analysis. Sixteen JME patients with cluster B PD, 38 JME patients without any psychiatric disorder, and 30 demographically matched healthy controls submitted to a psychiatric evaluation and a magnetic resonance imaging scan. The total and regional callosal areas were obtained from the midsagittal slice using a semi-automated program. Psychiatric evaluation was performed through SCID-I and -II. Significant reductions in the posterior region of the CC were observed in the JME with PD group relative to the other groups. These data support previous findings of callosal reductions in cluster B PD, as well as a possible involvement of CC in patients with JME and such personality characteristics.

Psychiatric comorbidity in epilepsy: a study comparing patients with mesial temporal sclerosis and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

We evaluated the frequency of psychiatric disorders (PDs) in a homogenous series of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial temporal sclerosis (TLE-MTS), as compared with patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), aiming to determine possible differences in psychiatric diagnoses between these two epileptic syndromes. Data from 170 patients with refractory TLE-MTS and from 100 patients with JME were reviewed and compared. The prevalence of PDs was high in both groups of patients with epilepsy: PDs were present in 85 patients with TLE-MTS (50%) and 49 patients with JME (49%). Among the TLE-MTS group, mood (25.8%), psychotic (15.8%), and anxiety (14.1%) disorders were the most frequent diagnoses, whereas anxiety and mood disorders (23 and 19%, respectively) were the most common among patients with JME. Psychoses were significantly associated with MTS (P<0.01) and anxiety disorders with JME (P<0.05). These findings suggest the existence of an anatomic correlation between PDs and brain structures involved in both epilepsy syndromes.