Childhood epilepsy may lead to memory disorders later in life

Researchers from the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison have demonstrated that individuals who had childhood epilepsy have an increased accumulation of brain amyloid later in life, potentially predisposing them to late-onset brain amyloid disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The team’s study, which is published in the journal Neurology, is based on a globally unique population-based cohort collected by Professor Emeritus Matti Sillanpää. The cohort has monitored the health and social prognosis of individuals who had childhood epilepsy since the early 1960s and their matched controls since 1992. The follow-up is conducted progressively at regular intervals in collaboration with domestic and international researchers (TACOE project).

In the previous timepoint of the study (2013–2016), after 50 years of follow-up, researchers observed that individuals with childhood epilepsy had more amyloid plaques in their brains than the controls. The accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brain is considered an early pathological brain change in Alzheimer’s disease, although the exact cause of amyloid accumulation is unknown.

“The finding was the first of its kind globally, and it was unclear at that point whether the abnormal amyloid accumulation in the brain would continue, further predisposing these individuals to the development of memory disorders. This motivated our current study,” explained Professor Juho Joutsa from the University of Turku.

The recent study was conducted approximately seven years after the previous timepoint, with the participants being 60–65 years old. The study included 82% of the previous participants, a total of 36 individuals with childhood-onset epilepsy, and 35 controls.

In the patient group, abnormal amyloid accumulation was observed in nearly one-third of the participants, whereas only 11% of the controls showed this accumulation. During the seven-year follow-up, the patient group accumulated more amyloid in the brain than the controls. The patient group also performed worse in cognitive tests compared to the controls, but this was not linked to the amount of amyloid plaques.

“This suggests that the amyloid accumulation in the brain has not yet led to memory disorders,” Joutsa said.

The cohort has already provided extensive information about childhood epilepsy and its prognosis over decades, with the latest study results adding new information about the very long-term effects of childhood epilepsy on the brain — and the follow-up continues.

“This study is also an excellent example of what can be achieved scientifically through long-term commitment of both participants and researchers, as well as collaboration across disciplines and generations of researchers,” Joutsa said.

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