levetiracetam and Amnesia

Elevated hippocampal activation is observed in conditions that confer risk for Alzheimer's disease, including amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Studies in relevant animal models have indicated that overactivity in selective hippocampal circuits contributes to cognitive impairment. Here, we tested the effect of reducing hippocampal activation in aMCI. Under placebo treatment, hippocampal activation in the dentate gyrus/CA3 was elevated in aMCI patients compared to a healthy control group. By using a low dose of the antiepileptic levetiracetam hippocampal activation in aMCI was reduced to a level that did not differ from the control group. Compared to aMCI memory performance under placebo, performance in the scanning task was significantly improved under drug treatment. Contrary to the view that greater hippocampal activation might serve a beneficial function, these results support the view that increased hippocampal activation in aMCI is a dysfunctional condition and that targeting excess hippocampal activity has therapeutic potential.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amnesia; Brain Mapping; Case-Control Studies; Choice Behavior; Cognitive Dysfunction; Double-Blind Method; Female; Hippocampus; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Levetiracetam; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Nootropic Agents; Oxygen; Photic Stimulation; Piracetam; Statistics as Topic

Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is a distinct syndrome affecting middle-aged persons without concurrent brain disease or disposition to epileptic seizures. Seizures are characterized by amnesia, usually lasting less than one hour, and interictal memory deficits that are common. Effective antiseizure treatment is usually rapid in patients with TEA, which underlines the need for prompt diagnosis. Here, we report a 58-year-old male patient with recurrent episodes of antero- and retrograde amnesia. MRI was normal and diagnosis was made using long-term EEG (27 hours), revealing 10 right-sided temporal lobe seizures with subtle clinical symptoms lasting up to 86 seconds. Details of the video-EEG are presented. Treatment with levetiracetam resulted in complete recovery and seizure freedom that was confirmed on a second long-term EEG. Given the favourable outcome with antiseizure treatment, our case study illustrates the role of long-term EEG monitoring in patients with recurrent transient amnesia to establish a correct diagnosis [Published with video sequence].

Topics: Amnesia; Anticonvulsants; Electroencephalography; Epileptic Syndromes; Humans; Levetiracetam; Male; Middle Aged

Topics: Amnesia; Anticonvulsants; Epilepsy; Humans; Levetiracetam; Male; Memory Disorders; Middle Aged

Topics: Amnesia; Anticonvulsants; Electroencephalography; Epilepsy; Humans; Levetiracetam; Male; Middle Aged; Piracetam; Seizures; Treatment Outcome

Epilepsy with the main symptom of amnesia is known as transient epileptic amnesia (TEA). Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common form of neurodegenerative dementia. The concept that Lewy body disease includes Parkinson's disease with dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies was proposed in the 2005 revision of the Clinical Diagnostic Criteria. Here, we describe a woman with cognitive impairment, olfactory dysfunction, and reduced

Topics: 3-Iodobenzylguanidine; Aged; Amnesia; Anticonvulsants; Cognition Disorders; Electroencephalography; Female; Hallucinations; Humans; Levetiracetam; Lewy Body Disease; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; Parkinsonian Disorders; Piracetam; Seizures; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon