The aim of the study was to evaluate the possible association between Apo E polymorphisms and age at seizure onset in patients with non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy. Eighty patients with non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy with or without bilateral tonic-clonic propagation were analyzed. Age at seizure onset was defined as age at the first unequivocal seizure (excluding febrile convulsions). ApoE alleles were determined by a procedure where genome DNA was amplified by chain reaction along with polymerase, using the LightCycler kit (Roche) for ApoE mutations on codons 112 and 158. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups of patients with ApoE ε2/3 and ε3/4 genotypes (p=0.03), but not between patients with ApoE, ε2/3 and ε3/3, and those with ApoE ε3/4 and ε3/3. In conclusion, the results of our study suggested positive association of a specific ApoE genotype and onset of non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy.
Keywords: Apolipoprotein E2; Polymorphism, genetic; Epilepsy, temporal lobe; Age at Onset.