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J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2005;76:1080-1083 doi:10.1136/jnnp.2004.048934
  • Paper

Cognitive performance of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and incidental calcified neurocysticercosis

  1. V C Terra-Bustamante1,
  2. É R Coimbra1,
  3. K O Rezek1,
  4. S R Escorsi-Rosset1,
  5. R Guarnieri1,
  6. C L Dalmagro1,
  7. L M Inuzuka1,
  8. M M Bianchin1,
  9. L Wichert-Ana1,
  10. V Alexandre1,
  11. O M Takayanagui1,
  12. D Araújo2,
  13. A C dos Santos2,
  14. C G Carlotti3,
  15. R Walz4,5,
  16. H J Markowitsch6,
  17. A C Sakamoto1
  1. 1Epilepsy Surgery Center (CIREP), Department of Neurology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
  2. 2Department of Radiology, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
  3. 3Neurosurgery Section, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
  4. 4Epilepsy Surgery Center, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
  5. 5Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, University of Vale do Itajaí Medical School, Brazil; andInternal Medicine Department, Medicine School of Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
  6. 6Arbeitseinheit Physiologische Psychologie, Universität Bielefeld, Germany
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr V C Terra Bustamante
 Department of Neurology, CIREP, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, Campus Universitário, Ribeirão Preto, CEP 14049-900, Brazil; vctbustarnp.fmrp.usp.br
  • Received 6 July 2004
  • Accepted 19 November 2004
  • Revised 26 October 2004

Abstract

Objectives: Although chronic calcified neurocysticercosis (NCC) has been considered a major cause of symptomatic epilepsy in developing countries, it can also be an incidental pathological finding in epileptic patients from endemic regions. The mechanisms of brain plasticity occurring in patients with NCC during and after the inflammatory process related to the parasite infection, death, degeneration, and calcification within the host brain might be an independent factor for cognitive impairment in patients with NCC and epilepsy. In order to assess this possibility cognitive performance of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy related to hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) with and without NCC was investigated through structured neuropsychological testing.

Methods: Cognitive performance of long term MTLE-HS patients with (HS-NCC group, n = 32) and without NCC (HS only, n = 48) was compared. Imbalances between the two groups with respect to clinical, demographic, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological variables were adjusted by linear multiple regression analysis and Bonferroni correction for multiple tests.

Results and conclusions: There were no cognitive performance differences between HS-NCC and HS only patients, leading to the conclusion that chronic calcified NCC per se does not aggravate the cognitive performance of patients with long term MTLE-HS.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: none declared

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