Impaired facial emotion recognition in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS): Side and age at onset matters

Autistic characteristics in adults with epilepsy

“…Therefore, given the high representation of right-sided epilepsy in the sample, it is not surprising that decision making ability was found to be significantly different in the epilepsy group. However, such findings contrast with evidence that the right amygdala is crucial for FER, which suggests that FER ability would also be impaired in the same group (McClelland et al, 2006;Hlobil et al, 2008). Critically though, Experiments 6 and 7 suggest that a deficit in decision making cannot be a result of any compromised amygdala function as demonstrated by the FER task in this sample of adults.…”

“…To date, no research has been conducted with broader measures of empathy such as the EQ to assess adults with epilepsy. In TLE, FER deficits have been related to and early insult and right medial temporal structures, and male gender has been related to both early-onset and right hemispheric epilepsy (Meletti et al, 2009;Doherty et al, 2003;Hlobil et al, 2008).…”

“…Shaw observed a deficit in ToM tasks with early seizure onset compared to adults with epilepsy who acquired damage to a previously undamaged 'normal' amygdala in adult life and who did not show such impairments (Shaw et al, 2004). These findings have been replicated in individuals with mTLE and hippocampal sclerosis [HS], where impaired FER has also been associated with early onset of epilepsy (Hlobil, Rathore, Alexander, Sarma, & Radhakrishnan, 2008).…”

“…This is most surprising, given that animal studies have related TLE to functional changes in social behaviours that manifest as ASD, and consistent with such evidence, a number of studies have shown that those with TLE have worse social adjustment (Gois et al, 2011;Marin et al, 2008). On one hand, early onset is a consistent factor for impaired advanced social cognition (Shaw et al, 2004;Hlobil et al, 2008). Therefore it can be argued that adults with early onset epilepsy may not have developed or may have impaired social abilities.…”

“…However, in contrast to such evidence, there was a non-significant trend for impaired ability to identify emotion in those with recent onset of epilepsy. Dysfunctional amygdalae are associated with early onset, male gender, and right-sided epilepsy (Golouboff, 2008;Doherty et al, 2003;Salmenperä et al, 2001;McClelland et al, 2006;Hlobil et al, 2008). Early onset epilepsy and male gender were under represented, while right-sided epilepsy was well-represented in in the epilepsy sample.…”