The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the Epilepsy Unit at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin have concluded the first ever study into the link between psychiatric disorders and epilepsy. The study highlighted similarities between brain cell patterns in people with epilepsy and those with schizophrenia. The research may lead to new treatments for both conditions in the future.
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) which is associated with substantial cognitive, psychological and behavioural effects and often has a significant impact on an individual's quality of life was the focus of this study. Until now, very little was known about the genetic aspects of TLE, largely due to the complexity of the condition.
The study used neuroimaging, a technique used to evaluate functional aspects of brain activity, which identified a lower density of cells in many areas of the brain in people with both TLE and psychosis and those with schizophrenia.
Dr Frederick Sundram, lead author of the study worked with a team from the Department of Psychiatry, RCSI and Beaumont Hospital including Professor Mary Cannon and Professor David Cotter in collaboration with Dr Colin Doherty, St. James' Hospital, Dublin; Professor Gareth Barker, Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London; and Ms Mary Fitzsimons and Dr Norman Delanty, Beaumont Hospital.
Further information may be obtained from the;
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
The research was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Sundram F, Cannon M, Doherty CP, Barker GJ, Fitzsimons M, Delanty N, Cotter D. (2010) "Neuroanatomical correlates of psychosis in temporal lobe epilepsy: voxel-based morphometry study", British Journal of Psychiatry. 197:482-92.