Abstract
We directly assessed mesial temporal activity using intracranial foramen ovale electrodes in two patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) without a history or EEG evidence of seizures. We detected clinically silent hippocampal seizures and epileptiform spikes during sleep, a period when these abnormalities were most likely to interfere with memory consolidation. The findings in these index cases support a model in which early development of occult hippocampal hyperexcitability may contribute to the pathogenesis of AD.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by NIH-NINDS R25-NS065743 (A.D.L.), the Massachusetts General Hospital Executive Committee on Research (A.D.L.), NIH-NINDS U01-NS090362 (A.G.), Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (A.G.), NIH-NINDS R01-NS029709 (J.N.), and the Blue Bird Circle Foundation (J.N.).
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A.D.L., G.D., A.G., E.N.E., J.N., and A.J.C. drafted and edited the manuscript. A.D.L., G.D., and A.G. prepared the figures. A.D.L. performed the spike quantification. A.G. performed the genetic analysis. A.J.C. and J.N. conceived the study.
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Lam, A., Deck, G., Goldman, A. et al. Silent hippocampal seizures and spikes identified by foramen ovale electrodes in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Med 23, 678–680 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.4330
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.4330
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