Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40085127›Full record

ArticleEpilepsia2025

Widespread decoupling of spindles and slow waves in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Katharina Schiller, Nicolás von Ellenrieder, Daniel Mansilla, Chifaou Abdallah, Kassem Jaber, Alfonso Garcia-Asensi, John Thomas, Erica Minato, Jean Gotman, Birgit Frauscher

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In one paragraph

Article in Epilepsia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Katharina SchillerAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Nicolás von EllenriederMontreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0845-347X
Daniel MansillaAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5445-2526
Chifaou AbdallahAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Kassem JaberAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Department of Neurology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Alfonso Garcia-AsensiAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Department of Neurology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
John ThomasAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Department of Neurology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Erica MinatoAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jean GotmanMontreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Birgit FrauscherAnalytical Neurophysiology Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6064-1529

Funding

CIHR FDN-143208CIHR PJT-175056Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 507037359
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveMemory impairment is common in people with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Recent studies in healthy subjects showed a positive correlation between sleep spindles coupled to slow waves (SWs) and memory performance. We aimed to determine differences in spindle-SW coupling in TLE patients compared to healthy controls using combined high-density electroencephalography and polysomnography.

methodsThe study population consisted of 20 patients (12 female, 36.5 ± 9.9 years old) with unilateral drug-resistant TLE (10 left temporal) and 20 age- and sex-matched controls (12 female, 31.2 ± 6.3 years old). Spindles (10-16 Hz, .5-3 s) and SWs (.5-4 Hz) were automatically detected during all N2 and N3 epochs using validated detectors. Coupling of spindles with SWs was defined as overlap between both detected events.

resultsCoupled spindle-SW rates (per minute) were globally reduced in patients with TLE compared to healthy controls (median = .18 [interquartile range (IQR) = .08-.36] vs. .35 [IQR = .24-.46], p = .014, d = -.46). This reduction was also found for coupled fast spindle (12-16 Hz)-SW (.06 [IQR = .02-.13] vs. .18 [IQR = .07-.25], p = .013, d = -.46) and slow spindle (10-12 Hz)-SW rates (.11 [IQR = .04-.23] vs. .19 [IQR = .13-.27], p = .034, d = -.40). Within TLE patients, there was no local difference between the coupling rates in the lobe with the epileptic focus compared to the contralateral side (.09 [IQR = .02-.13] vs. .07 [IQR = .02-.13], p = .18). The effect size of the reduction was stronger in early than late sleep for both N2 and N3 sleep (early N2 d = -.50 vs. late N2 d = -.39; early N3 d = -.53 vs. late N3 d = -.47). SIGNIFICANCE: Despite a focal epileptic generator, patients with unilateral TLE showed a widespread decoupling between sleep spindles and SWs that was most prominent in early sleep. As coupling was shown to be associated with neuropsychological performance in healthy people, this global decoupling may constitute one potential mechanism of poor memory performance in people with TLE.

Indexed as

Epilepsy, Temporal LobeSleep, Slow-WaveAdultDrug Resistant EpilepsyElectroencephalographyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPolysomnographyYoung Adultcognitioncouplingfocal epilepsyhigh‐density EEGsleep

Identifiers

PMID40085127
PMCPMC12290998

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.