Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40577228›Full record

ArticleBrain : a journal of neurology2025

Twins with temporal lobe epilepsy: genetic contributions to hippocampal sclerosis and other subtypes.

Yew Li Dang, Kate Esnault, Gregory Fitt, Terence J O'Brien, Graeme D Jackson, Piero Perucca, Samuel F Berkovic

Abstract readTwin Study
In one paragraph

Article in Brain : a journal of neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

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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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Ras-MAPK somatic variants in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.Current opinion in genetics & development · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
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

7 authors.

Yew Li DangEpilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine (Austin Health), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3084, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0570-5398
Kate EsnaultEpilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine (Austin Health), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3084, Australia.
Gregory FittBladin-Berkovic Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Department of Neurology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria 3084, Australia.
Terence J O'BrienDepartment of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Graeme D JacksonBladin-Berkovic Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Department of Neurology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria 3084, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7917-5326
Piero PeruccaEpilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine (Austin Health), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3084, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7855-7066
Samuel F BerkovicEpilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine (Austin Health), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3084, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4580-841X

Funding

Austin Medical Research FoundationAustralian Epilepsy ProjectAustralian GovernmentFrontier Health and Medical Research Program RFRHPSI000008Medical Research Future FundMonash UniversityNational Health and Medical Research Council of Australia APP1176426National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia APP1196637National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia APP2013800National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia APP2017651University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne Research Training Program Scholarship
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common focal epilepsy in adults. While temporal lobe epilepsy was historically perceived to have a largely acquired aetiology, growing evidence points to important genetic contributions. There are several temporal lobe epilepsy subtypes, including mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with or without hippocampal sclerosis, but the relative genetic contributions to each of these subtypes have not been directly studied. In this study, we use the classical twin model in 80 twin pairs where at least one twin had temporal lobe epilepsy. We assessed the genetic contribution to various subtypes [lesional temporal lobe epilepsy, non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy, mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (with or without hippocampal sclerosis), lateral temporal lobe epilepsy and non-localized temporal lobe epilepsy], by analysing the concordance for temporal lobe epilepsy in monozygotic twins compared with dizygotic twins. In the 10 monozygotic pairs where at least one twin had hippocampal sclerosis, we searched for within-pair acquired differences between affected and unaffected individuals. There was an excess of monozygotic pairs concordant for temporal lobe epilepsy compared with dizygotic pairs (17/47 concordant monozygotic versus 0/33 concordant dizygotic, P < 0.05). This supports a genetic contribution to temporal lobe epilepsy, but notably this concordance was driven by non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy cases, particularly mesial temporal lobe epilepsy without hippocampal sclerosis (14/22 concordant monozygotic versus 0/11 concordant dizygotic, P < 0.05). No concordant monozygotic or dizygotic pairs were observed in the lesional temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 8) and non-localized temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 15) groups. The concordance for temporal lobe epilepsy in monozygotic twins with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis was much lower (2/10 concordant monozygotic versus 0/9 concordant dizygotic, P = 1), suggesting a lesser contribution from germline genetic causes to mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. Eight monozygotic twin pairs were discordant for hippocampal sclerosis. In four of these pairs, both twins had febrile seizures, but hippocampal sclerosis was only present in the twin who had prolonged seizures. The two monozygotic twin pairs concordant for hippocampal sclerosis had clinical neurofibromatosis type 1 with pathogenic germline NF1 variants. Our findings confirm a germline genetic component in temporal lobe epilepsy, strongest in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy without hippocampal sclerosis and present in lateral temporal lobe epilepsy but absent in lesional and non-localized temporal lobe epilepsy. In our mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis twins, we found both genetic factors (NF1) and prolonged febrile seizures contributed to the aetiology of hippocampal sclerosis.

Indexed as

Diseases in TwinsEpilepsy, Temporal LobeHippocampusAdultFemaleHippocampal SclerosisHumansMaleMiddle AgedSclerosisTwins, DizygoticTwins, MonozygoticYoung Adultgeneticshippocampal sclerosisneurofibromatosistemporal lobe epilepsytwin study

Identifiers

PMID40577228
PMCPMC12588710

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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.