Establishing the role of the hippocampus in working memory impairments in children with focal epilepsy

Working memory impairments are a common co-morbidity of pediatric epilepsy and adversely impact school performance and quality of life. Research in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy suggests that brain networks established in long-term memory (i.e., hippocampus in the mesial temporal lobe) may be involved in working memory, but it is not yet known whether these findings extend to children with focal epilepsies. This research will examine the neuroanatomical underpinnings of working memory impairments in children with focal epilepsy. We will use task-based fMRI to examine hippocampal connectivity, and correlate results with cognitive performance and parent-report of working memory. Children with focal epilepsy will exhibit impairments in working memory and greater working memory problems in daily life, compared to typically developing control children, which in turn will be associated with alterations in hippocampal connectivity. This study will contribute to our understanding of memory impairment in pediatric epilepsy, inform pre-surgical evaluation of memory in clinical practice, as well as the development of interventions.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mary Lou Smith

Student:

Partner:

George Washington University & Children's National Medical Center

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program: