August 9, 2019

Focal Epilepsy Associated With Acceleration in Progressive Cortical Thinning

Focal epilepsy may accelerate widespread progressive cortical thinning to a greater degree than that observed in normal aging, a study in JAMA Neurology suggests.

The study examined data from a cohort of consecutive patients with focal epilepsy receiving follow-up care at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, United Kingdom (n=190). Data were compared with 3 age- and sex-matched independent comparison cohorts consisting of healthy volunteers (n=141). Examined data were derived from at least 2 high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans taken at least 6 months apart (mean [SD] interval, 2.5 [1.6] years). The primary outcomes of interest were the rate of global and vertexwise progressive cortical thinning.

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