Temporal lobe interictal spikes disrupt encoding and retrieval of verbal memory: A subregion analysis.

Publication/Presentation Date

9-1-2022

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The medial temporal lobe (MTL) encodes and recalls memories and can be a predominant site for interictal spikes (IS) in patients with focal epilepsy. It is unclear whether memory deficits are due to IS in the MTL producing a transient decline. Here, we investigated whether IS in the MTL subregions and lateral temporal cortex impact episodic memory encoding and recall.

METHODS: Seventy-eight participants undergoing presurgical evaluation for medically refractory focal epilepsy with depth electrodes placed in the temporal lobe participated in a verbal free recall task. IS were manually annotated during the pre-encoding, encoding, and recall epochs. We examined the effect of IS on word recall using mixed-effects logistic regression.

RESULTS: IS in the left hippocampus (odds ratio [OR] = .73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = .63-.84, p <  .001) and left middle temporal gyrus (OR = .46, 95% CI = .27-.78, p <  .05) during word encoding decreased subsequent recall performance. Within the left hippocampus, this effect was specific for area CA1 (OR = .76, 95% CI = .66-.88, p <  .01) and dentate gyrus (OR = .74, 95% CI = .62-.89, p <  .05). IS in other MTL subregions or inferior and superior temporal gyrus and IS occurring during the prestimulus window did not affect word encoding (p > .05). IS during retrieval in right hippocampal (OR = .22, 95% CI = .08-.63, p = .01) and parahippocampal regions (OR = .24, 95% CI = .07-.8, p <  .05) reduced the probability of recalling a word.

SIGNIFICANCE: IS in medial and lateral temporal cortex contribute to transient memory decline during verbal episodic memory.

Volume

63

Issue

9

First Page

2325

Last Page

2337

ISSN

1528-1167

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

35708911

Department(s)

Department of Medicine

Document Type

Article

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