VISUAL WORKING-MEMORY IN PRIMARY GENERALIZED EPILEPSY - AN (18)FDG-PET STUDY

It is generally believed that patients with primary generalized epilep sy have normal cognition and neuroimaging studies. We have previously shown that patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) have impair ed visual working memory. In this study we examined relative regional changes in (18)FDG uptake during a visual working memory paradigm in p atients with JME. At rest, there were regional decreases in relative g lucose uptake compared to controls. Unlike control subjects, increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was not found during t he working memory task. Other regions with increased uptake in control s, such as premotor cortex and basal frontal cortex, also showed no in creases, whereas medial temporal structures appeared to play a role in JME but not in control subjects' task performance. The data suggest t hat JME, a type of primary generalized epilepsy, may suffer from corti cal disorganization that affects both the epileptogenic potential and frontal lobe cognitive functioning.