Abstract
Serial MRI after Experimental Febrile Seizures: Altered T2 Signal without Neuronal Death Dube C, Yu H, Nalcioglu O, Baram TZ Ann Neurol 2004;56:709–714 Whereas most febrile seizures (FSs) carry a benign outcome, a subpopulation of individuals with prolonged FSs are at risk for later temporal lobe epilepsy. Signal changes on MRI may provide early markers for changes in neuronal integrity that may promote epileptogenesis in such individuals. Here, we used serial MRIs, obtained before and at several times after experimental prolonged FSs, to determine the prevalence and distribution of signal changes on T2-weighted images and to investigate the pathologic substrates leading to these changes. Seventy-five percent of immature rats with experimental prolonged FSs had abnormal T2 signal enhancement at 24 hours, and 87.5%, at 8 days after the seizures. The altered T2 values involved the dorsal hippocampus (75%), the piriform cortex (87.5%), and the amygdala (25%). However, these changes were not accompanied by evidence of neuronal injury or death in these regions, as assessed by using the Fluoro-Jade method. Thus, experimental prolonged FSs lead to relatively frequent abnormal MRI signal in “temporal lobe” structures. Although these changes do not signify cell death, they may denote pathologic cellular processes that promote epileptogenesis.
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