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Hippocampal 1H-MRSI correlates with severity of depression symptoms in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Gilliam FG, Maton BM, Martin RC, Sawrie SM, Faught RE, Hugg JW, Viikinsalo M, Kuzniecky RI

The Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. fgilliam@neruo.columbia.edu

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of an indicator of hippocampal function with severity of depression symptoms in temporal lobe epilepsy. METHODS: We evaluated 31 patients with video/EEG-confirmed temporal lobe epilepsy using creatine/N-acetylaspartate ratio maps derived from a previously validated (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging ((1)H-MRSI) technique at 4.1 T. We also assessed depression symptoms, epilepsy-related factors, and self-perceived social and vocational disability. We used conservative nonparametric bivariate procedures to determine the correlation of severity of depression symptoms with imaging and clinical variables. RESULTS: The extent of hippocampal (1)H-MRSI abnormalities correlated with severity of depression (Spearman rho = 0.65, p value < 0.001), but other clinical factors did not. CONCLUSION: The extent of hippocampal dysfunction is associated with depression symptoms in temporal lobe epilepsy and may be a more important factor than seizure frequency or degree of disability.

Published 30 January 2007 in Neurology, 68(5): 364-8.
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