Table 1 Clinical, demographic, neuroradiological, neurophysiological and surgical variables of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy related to hippocampal sclerosis according to dexamethasone treatment

From: A single high dose of dexamethasone affects the phosphorylation state of glutamate AMPA receptors in the human limbic system

Variables

All cases, n=31

No dexamethasone, n=11

Dexamethasone, n=20

P-value

Gender

 Female

18 (58.1)

4 (36.4)

14 (70.0)

 

 Male

13 (41.9)

7 (63.6)

6 (30.0)

0.13

Race

 Caucasian

27 (87.1)

9 (81.8)

18 (90.0)

 

 Others

04 (12.9)

2 (16.2)

2 (10.0)

0.60

Marital status

 Single

17 (54.8)

8 (72.7)

9 (45.0)

 

 Married

10 (32.3)

2 (18.2)

8 (40.0)

 

 Divorced or widower

4 (12.9)

1 (9.1)

3 (15.0)

0.33

Current work activity

 Working

11 (35.5)

4 (36.4)

7 (35.0)

 

 Health insurance

4 (12.9)

7 (63.6)

9 (45.0)

 

 Not working

16 (51.6)

0 (0.0)

4 (20.0)

0.26

History of initial precipitant injury

 No

7 (22.6)

3 (27.3)

4 (20.0)

 

 Yes

24 (77.4)

8 (72.7)

16 (80.0)

0.68

Family history of epilepsy

 No

12 (38.7)

4 (36.4)

8 (40.0)

 

 Second-degree or distant

10 (32.3)

2 (18.2)

8 (40.0)

 

 First- degree

6 (19.4)

3 (27.3)

3 (15.0)

 

 Unknown

3 (9.7)

2 (18.2)

1 (5.9)

0.41

MRI hippocampal sclerosis

 Right side

16 (51.6)

4 (36.4)

12 (60.0)

 

 Left side

15 (48.4)

7 (63.6)

8 (40.0)

0.27

Antiepileptic drugs regimen a

 Monotherapy

9 (29.0)

6 (54.5)

3 (15.0)

 

 Two or more drugs

23 (71.0)

5 (45.5)

17 (85.0)

0.04

Benzodiazepines

 Yes

15 (48.4)

7 (63.6)

9 (45.0)

 

 No

16 (51.6)

4 (36.4)

11 (55.0)

0.46

Antiepileptic drugs

 Carbamazepine

    

No

6 (19.4)

4 (36.4)

2 (10.0)

 

Yes

29 (80.6)

7 (63.3)

18 (90.0)

0.16

 Phenobarbital

No

19 (61.3)

9 (81.2)

10 (50.0)

 

Yes

12 (38.7)

2 (18.2)

10 (50.0)

0.13

 Diphenilhydantoin

No

28 (90.3)

11 (100.0)

17 (85.0)

 

Yes

3 (9.7)

0 (0.0)

03 (15.0)

0.54

 Valproic acid

No

29 (93.5)

9 (81.8)

18 (90.0)

 

Yes

4 (12.9)

2 (18.2)

2 (10.0)

0.60

 Lamotrigin

No

27 (87.1)

9 (81.8)

18 (90.0)

 

Yes

4 (12.9)

2 (18.2)

2 (10.0)

0.60

 Topiramate

No

29 (93.5)

11 (100.0)

18 (90.0)

 

Yes

2 (6.5)

0 (0.0)

2 (10.0)

0.53

Hand dominance

 Right

27 (87.1)

9 (81.8)

18 (90.0)

 

 Non-right

4 (12.9)

2 (18.2)

2 (10.0)

0.60

Psychiatric comorbidities

 No diagnosis

14 (45.2)

4 (36.3)

10 (50.0)

 

 Depressive disorder

8 (25.8)

2 (18.2)

6 (30.0)

 

 Anxiety disorderb

3 (9.7)

2 (18.2)

1 (5.0)

 

 Other psychiatric conditionsc

6 (19.4)

3 (27.3)

3 (15.0)

0.48

Mean (s.e.)

 Age (years)

36.4 (2.2)

34.6 (3.8)

37.3 (2.7)

0.57

 Education (years)

6.6 (0.5)

6 (1.0)

6.9 (0.6)

0.43

 Disease duration (years)

24.3 (2.0)

25.8 (3.1)

23.5 (2.6)

0.60

 Monthly seizure frequency

7.5 (0.9)

4.9 (0.9)

8.5 (1.1)

0.04

 QOLIE-31

35.2 (2.7)

38.2 (3.8)

33.5 (3.7)

0.43

Intraoperative parameters

 Mean arterial pressure

67.5 (1.7)

64 (3.0)

68.8 (2.1)

0.30

 Heart rate

73.7 (2.2)

70 (4.1)

75 (2.7)

0.30

 Respiratory frequency

11.6 (0.3)

11.7 (0.5)

11.5 (0.4)

0.88

Biochemical analysis of the blood

 pH

7.41 (0.07)

7.41 (0.01)

7.42 (0.01)

0.66

 PCO2

28 (0.8)

29.6 (1.5)

28.1 (0.9)

0.35

 HCO3

20.0 (0.3)

20.7 (0.6)

19.6 (0.3)

0.20

 PO2

229 (11.0)

214.6 (25.1)

237.8 (10.3)

0.32

 O2 saturation

99.7 (0.04)

99.6 (0.08)

99.7 (0.05)

0.90

 Hematocrit

35.0 (0.7)

33.9 (1.4)

35.6 (0.8)

0.27

 Hemoglobin

12.5 (0.9)

14.9 (2.9)

11.7 (0.3)

0.26

 Glucose

116.3 (4.9)

103.4 (6.4)

121 (6.0)

0.10

 Sodium

138.2 (3.9)

136.9 (1.2)

139 (1.7)

0.20

 Potassium

4.1 (0.1)

4.2 (0.2)

4.1 (0.1)

0.63

 Ionic calcium

4.2 (0.1)

4.1 (0.1)

4.2 (0.2)

0.95

 Magnesium

0.4 (0.08)

0.4 (0.02)

0.5 (0.01)

0.15

 Lactic acid

2.1 (0.2)

1.7 (0.3)

2.3 (0.3)

0.22

Storage time of samples (months)a

24 (1.5)

28.2 (2.9)

21.5 (1.7)

0.05

Time since last seizure (hours)d

225 (82)

200 (63)

239 (122)

0.82

Time for CX sampling (min)e

188.3 (7.1)

184.8 (10.3)

190 (9.7)

0.71

Time for AMY/HIP sampling (min)f

260.1 (10.0)

254.6 (16.9)

262.8 (12.8)

0.78

Time of HIP manipulation (min)g

11.2 (0.9)

11.7 (1.3)

11.1 (1.2)

0.70

  1. Abbreviations: AMY, amygdala; CX, middle temporal neocortex gyrus; HIP, hippocampus; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; QOLIE-31, Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31.
  2. aTime course since brain tissue sampling and the homogenization for neurochemical evaluation (range 8 to 39 months).
  3. bAnxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder (two patients in the non-dexamethasone group), social phobia (one patient in non-DEX group).
  4. cOther psychiatric conditions: three patients with dysphoric disorder of epilepsy (one in the non-DEXA group), two patients with postictal psychosis (in the non-DEXA group), one patient with postictal anxiety (in the DEXA group).
  5. dTime course since the last seizure attack occurrence and brain tissue sampling (range 12 to 590 h).
  6. eTime course since anesthesia induction until CX tissue sampling (range 119 to 255 min).
  7. fTime course since anesthesia induction until AMY/HIP tissue sampling (range 160 to 360 min).
  8. gTime course since HIP vessels thermo-coagulation started until the complete resection of the HIP (range 5 to 25 min). Variables showing a 'P' level of significance <0.15 are in bold.
Back to article page