NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL AND COGNITIVE STUDIES IN EPILEPSY

我们已经在患者身上使用了神经成像技术 对颞叶癫痫患者进行无创性评估 功能性大脑皮层。这一信息对外科手术计划至关重要。 顽固性癫痫患者。两种正电子发射 断层扫描和功能磁共振成像可以 用于映射语言和存储功能。我们在这两个领域的研究 正常志愿者和癫痫发作失控的患者 显示成像评估与更具侵入性的 电刺激标测和颈动脉内注射等过程 阿米塔尔钠试验。最近，我们使用了经颅磁力 刺激(TMS)以映射记忆功能和语言 左脑言语优势患者的定位。左边 额叶刺激导致语言停顿，并将颞叶留给图像 命名错误。右侧和左侧额叶刺激均中断 对图片的记忆；左侧后颞叶TMS干扰命名 在编码期间，而不是在记忆中。TMS是一种有用的工具 对语言和记忆组织的调查。我们目前的情况 研究旨在评估是否存在一种 癫痫发作的焦点，特别是在儿童时期形成的癫痫，会导致 功能性的大脑重组。

We have used neuroimaging techniques in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy to perform non-invasive evaluation of functional cortex. This information is crucial for surgical planning in patients with intractable epilepsy. Both positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging can be used to map langauge and memory function. Our studies in both normal volunteers and patients with uncontrolled seizures have shown that imaging evaluation compares well with more invasive procdures such as electrostimulation mapping and the intracarotid sodium amytal test. More recently, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to map memory function and language localization in patients with left hemisphere speech dominance. Left frontal stimulation led to speech arrest, and left temporal to picture naming errors. Both right and left frontal stimulation disrupted memory for pictures; left posterior temporal TMS disrupted naming during encoding but not memory. TMS is a useful tool for investigation of language and memory organization. Our current studies are directed toward evaluating whether the presence of a seizure focus, particulalry one developing in childhood, leads to functional brain reorganization.