Nicolle Zimmermann, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Diogo Goulart Correa MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Tania Maria Netto PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Bernardo Canedo Bizzo MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Rochele Paz Fonseca, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Emerson L. Gasparetto MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Episodic memory deficits in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been frequently reported, but little is known about the neural correlates of those deficits. In this scenario, studies have been indicating lack of involvement of hippocampal volume associated to memory functioning in SLE, in spite of evidences of a progressive reduction of volume along SLE condition. For this reason, we aimed to explore further differences of critical memory-related brain structures volumes among SLE samples with and without episodic memory deficits and controls.

Our sample was composed by n=85 individuals distributed in three groups: 1) SLE with episodic memory deficits (SLE+) (n=17); 2) SLE without episodic memory deficits (SLE-) (n=34); 3) controls without episodic memory deficits (n=34). Groups were matched on age, education, sex, MMSE, and SLICC. Episodic memory deficits were defined by performance on Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. All the participants were examined on a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. The protocol of image acquisition was: FLAIR sequence with axial and sagittal T1 3D MPRAGE. The FreeSurfer software was used to perform the cortical volumetric reconstruction and segmentation. One-way ANOVA and ANCOVA (time of diagnosis as a co-variate) analysis were performed in SPSS software.

Results indicated significant differences between SLE+>SLE- and SLE+>controls in the volume of the third ventricle. Co-variance analysis showed significant minor volume of right and left thalamus in SLE+ when compared to SLE-. No differences among groups were found in focused attention performance.

Our findings indicated group effects on right and left thalamus and on the third ventricle volumes. These findings are consistent with evidences of hippocampal-diencephalic interactions associated to episodic memory performance in SLE.

Findings presented here suggest that thalamus may be the first episodic memory-related structure to be affected in the volumetric-anatomical level in SLE when the hippocampus is intact. An additional hypothesis would be that thalamus connections have a critical role in disrupting several neuropsychological processes in SLE.

Zimmermann, N, Correa, D, Netto, T, Bizzo, B, Fonseca, R, Gasparetto, E, Episodic Memory Impairment in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Evidences of Thalamic Structures Involvement.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14013214.html