Seizures and Memory Networks
A 2016 study done on rats focused on how seizure-like activity impacted memory consolidation. Some types of epilepsy including temporal lobe epilepsy can affect the memory function.
Memory consolidation usually occurs during sleep and involves small ripples of activity in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain concerned with memory. These ripples can also occur due to activities in the prefrontal cortex, which are involved in high-level cognitive functions.
People that have temporal lobe epilepsy may experience a short burst of electrical activity called IEDs [6] between seizures. Researchers seek to discover if these abnormal bursts of electrical activity (IED) impacted memory in rats. They discovered that:
- Stimulating IEDs in rats resulted in issue with the rat’s ability to solve a maze.
- The more the IEDs the more the effect on memory.
- IEDs that started in the hippocampus sparked electrical activity in the prefrontal cortex. This happened while the rats were asleep and awake.
- A similar pattern of activity was seen when observing 4 individuals with epilepsy and IEDs.
A conclusion was made that IEDs can disrupt normal signaling for memory consolidation. And IEDs from the hippocampus may impact how the prefrontal cortex reacts to the signaling from this area, which could affect one’s memory.