Memory guided saccades in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology Vol. 117; no. 11; pp. 2392 - 2398
• Main Authors: Colnaghi, S., Arbasino, C., Beltrami, G., Galimberti, C.A., Cosi, V., Versino, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.11.2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Electrodiagnosis. Electric activity recording; Electroencephalography; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - complications; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe - physiopathology; Eye Movements - physiology; Female; Functional Laterality - physiology; Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy; Hippocampus - pathology; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Memory - physiology; Memory guided saccades; Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy; Middle Aged; Nervous system; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Parahippocampal cortex; Parahippocampal Gyrus - physiopathology; Saccades - physiology; Sclerosis; Spatial memory; Memory guided saccades; RSs; DLPFC; E; PHC; Parahippocampal cortex; MTLE-HS; Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy; MGSs; SA; ED; Spatial memory; Human; Nervous system diseases; Central nervous system; Complex partial epilepsy; Cerebral disorder; Saccadic eye movement; Electrodiagnosis; Ipsilateral; Central nervous system disease; Temporal lobe epilepsy; Technique; Hippocampus
• ISSN: 1388-2457; 1872-8952
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2006.07.135

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) may involve extrahippocampal areas of structural and functional damage. The incidence and the features of this damage are still a matter of debate and vary depending on the method applied. Memory guided saccades (MGSs) with a memorization delay longer than 20 s can be used reliably to evaluate the parahippocampal cortex. MGSs with 3 and 30 s memorization delays were recorded with the search coil technique in six patients affected by right MTLE-HS, and in 13 healthy controls. The patients were not able to reduce the MGSs residual amplitude error after the first saccade with a 30 s memorization delay. This finding was more evident with leftward saccades. MGS abnormalities suggested the functional involvement of the right parahippocampal cortex in most of the patients with MTLE-HS, and this supports the clinical and anatomopathological heterogeneity of the disease. MGSs can be used in patients with right MTLE-HS to detect a possible functional involvement of the ipsilateral parahippocampal cortex.