Whole-brain functional correlates of memory formation in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

The mesial temporal lobe is a key region for episodic memory. Accordingly, memory impairment is frequent in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. However, the functional relevance of potentially epilepsy-induced reorganisation for memory formation is still not entirely clear. Therefore, we investigated whole-brain functional correlates of verbal and non-verbal memory encoding and subsequent memory formation in 56 (25 right sided) mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients and 21 controls. We applied an fMRI task of learning scenes, faces, and words followed by an out-of-scanner recognition test. During encoding of faces and scenes left and right mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients had consistently reduced activation in the epileptogenic mesial temporal lobe compared with controls. Activation increases in patients were apparent in extra-temporal regions, partly associated with subsequent memory formation (left frontal regions and basal ganglia), and patients had less deactivation in regions often linked to the default mode and auditory networks. The more specific subsequent memory contrast indicated only marginal group differences. Correlating patients’ encoding activation with memory performance both within the paradigm and with independent clinical measures demonstrated predominantly increased contralateral mesio-temporal activation supporting intact memory performance. In left temporal lobe epilepsy patients, left frontal activation was also correlated with better verbal memory performance. Taken together, our findings hint towards minor extra-temporal plasticity in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients, which is in line with pre-surgical impairment and post-surgical memory decline in many patients. Further, data underscore the importance of particularly the contralateral mesial temporal lobe itself, to maintain intact memory performance.