Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Association between serum apolipoprotein E and cognitive functions in Egyptian patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

  • Original article
  • Published:
Acta Neurologica Belgica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Memory, cognition and visuospatial aspects of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) have not been fully analyzed yet. From among the huge growing population of circulating apoproteins analyzed in TLE, apolipoprotein E (APOE) was discovered; however, its role in TLE has not been fully elucidated yet. This study was designed to investigate the relation between the serum level of APOE and cognition in TLE patients. Sixty-five subjects (35 TLE patients and 30 healthy matched controls) were included. Evaluation of cognitive functions was done using Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R) scale. Serum APOE level was measured by ELISA. The mean total score, memory and visuospatial scores of ACE-R were significantly lower in TLE patients compared to healthy subjects. The mean total score and memory score of ACE-R were significantly lower in seizures originating from mesial temporal lobe (MTL) and left temporal lobe seizures. Serum APOE levels were significantly higher in TLE patients compared to healthy subjects. Serum APOE levels significantly negatively correlated with total score, memory, and visuospatial ability scores of ACE-R. Serum APOE was significantly higher in MTL seizures compared to lateral lobe seizures and in left temporal lobe seizures compared to right temporal seizures. Memory and visuospatial aspects were significantly affected in TLE patients. So, the serum APOE level can possibly contribute to cognitive dysfunction in such patients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cavalleri GL, Lynch JM, Depondt C, Burley MW, Wood NM, Sisodiya SM, Goldstein DB (2005) Failure to replicate previously reported genetic associations with sporadic temporal lobe epilepsy: where to from here? Brain 128:1832–1840

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Gee JR, Keller JN (2005) Astrocytes: regulation of brain homeostasis via apolipoprotein E. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 37:1145–1150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Mahley RW, Rall SC (2000) Apolipoprotein E: far more than a lipid transport protein. Annu Rev Genom Hum Genet 1:507–537

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Polvikoski T, Sulkava R, Haltia M, Kainulainen K, Vuorio A, Verkkoniemi A et al (1995) Apolipoprotein E, dementia, and cortical deposition of beta-amyloid protein. N Engl J Med. 333:1242–1247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Palop JJ, Mucke L (2009) Epilepsy and cognitive impairments in Alzheimer disease. ArchNeurol 66(4):435–440

    Google Scholar 

  6. Helmstaedter C (2002) Effects of chronic epilepsy on declarative memory systems. Progr Brain Res 135:439–453

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hermann S (2007) Classification of epileptic seizures. Continuum: lifelong learning in neurology. Epilepsy 13(4):13–47

    Google Scholar 

  8. Qassem T, Khateeb M, Emara T, Rasheedy D, Tawfik H, Mohammedin AS, Tolba M, Abdel Aziz K (2015) Normative data for healthy adult performance on the Egyptian–Arabic Addenbrooke’s cognitive examination III. Middle East Current Psychiatry 22:27–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Engel J (2001) A proposed diagnostic scheme for people with epileptic seizures and with epilepsy: report of the ILAE task force on classification and terminology. Epilepsia 42(6):796–803

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Bell BD, Fine J, Dow C, Seidenberg M, Hermann BP (2005) Temporal lobe epilepsy and the selective reminding test: the conventional 30-minute delay suffices. Psychol Assess 17(1):103–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Hermann BP, Seidenberg M, Dow C, Jones J, Rutecki P, Bhattacharya A et al (2006) Cognitive prognosis in chronic temporal lobe epilepsy. Ann Neurol 60(1):80–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Jones-Gotman M, Zatorre RJ, Olivier A, Andermann F, Cendes F, Staunton H et al (1997) Learning and retention of words and designs following excision from medial or lateral temporal-lobe structures. Neuropsychologia 35(7):963–973

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Busch RM, Lineweaver TT, Naugle RI, Kim KH, Gong Y, Tilelli CQ et al (2007) ApoE-epsilon4 is associated with reduced memory in long-standing intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurology 68(6):409–414

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Tavakoli M, Barekatain M, Doust HT, Molavi H, Nouri RK, Moradi A (2011) Cognitive impairments in patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. J Res Med Sci 16:1466–1472

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Zhao F, Kang H, You L, Rastogi P, Venkatesh D, Chandra M (2014) Neuropsychological deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy: a comprehensive review. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 17(4):374–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hermann B, Seidenberg M, Bell B, Rutecki P, Sheth RD, Wendt G, O’Leary D, Magnotta V (2003) Extratemporal quantitative MR volumetrics and neuropsychological status in temporal lobe epilepsy. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 9:353–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kumar A, Tripathi M, Pandey RM, Ramakrishnan L, Srinivas M, Luthra K (2006) Apolipoprotein E in temporal lobe epilepsy: a case–control study. Dis Markers 22(5–6):335–342

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Gouras G, Relkin N, Sweeney D (1997) Increased apolipoprotein E ϵ4 in epilepsy with senile plaques. Ann Neurol 41(3):402–404

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Elger C, Helmstaedter C, Kurthen M (2004) Chronic epilepsy and cognition. Lancet Neurol 3(11):663–672

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Simons J, Spiers H (2003) Prefrontal and medial temporal lobe interactions in long-term memory. Nat Rev Neurosci 4:637–648

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Squire L, Stark C, Clark R (2004) The medial temporal lobe. Annu Rev Neurosci 27:279–306

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Golby A, Poldrack R, Illes J, Chen D (2002) Memory lateralization in medial temporal lobe epilepsy assessed by functional MRI. Epilepsia 43(8):855–863

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge subjects for their participation and cooperation in this study.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Iman Elbanhawy, Ebtesam Mohamed Fahmy, Rania Shehata Ismail & Karim Elmehdawy

  2. Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Sahar Sharaf

Authors
  1. Iman Elbanhawy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ebtesam Mohamed Fahmy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sahar Sharaf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rania Shehata Ismail
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Karim Elmehdawy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

EE: research conception, EF: research idea and conception, data acquisition, data analysis and interpretation, and manuscript writing and reviewing, SS: performing and reviewing the laboratory workup, RSI: data interpretation, manuscript writing and reviewing, KE: data acquisition, data analysis and interpretation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rania Shehata Ismail.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in absence of any commercial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Elbanhawy, I., Fahmy, E.M., Sharaf, S. et al. Association between serum apolipoprotein E and cognitive functions in Egyptian patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Acta Neurol Belg 121, 161–166 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-019-01167-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13760-019-01167-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation