The influence of clinical and immune variables on psychopathological syndromes in partial epilepsies in relation to handedness

SUMMARY Background. The role of neurobiological and immunity variables in the genesis of psychopathological syndromes in patients with partial epilepsy is not properly understood. It concerns also the role of handedness. Aim The study was carried out in order to find the influence of clinical (neurobiological) and immune variables on co-morbid psychopathological syndromes in patients with epilepsy separately for right-handers and left-handers. Material and Methods. Ninety two (92) patients with epilepsy were recruited into the study. Among the studied patients were 85 right-handers and 7 left-handers. The data on frequency of each seizure semiotics, the assessment of seizures severity and the length of remission were used as main basic clinical variables. Assessment of psychopathological status of patients has been performed by using of Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90). The amounts of different lymphocytes clusters also were calculated. The product moment correlation analysis was used to find the possible relationships separately for right-handers and left-handers. Results. In the right-handers group only significant correlation between the focal motor seizure frequency and value of Hostility construct of SCL-90 scale (r = 0.284, p = 0.045), and between the total count of T-lymphocytes and expression of Psychoticism, SCL-90 (r =−0.271, p = 0.049). In the left-handers group stochastically significant correlations between focal seizures with impaired awareness (FSIA), focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS) and National Hospital Seizure Severity Scale (NHS3) score with 5 SCL-90 constructs were revealed. The regulatory index (CD4/CD8 ratio) correlates positively with Obsessions (r = 0.780, p = 0.039); Interpersonal sensitivity (r = 0.80, p = 0.031); Depression (r = 0.834, p = 0.02); Aggression (r = 0.926, p = 0.003); Paranoid ideations (r = 0.873, p = 0.01) and Psychoticism (r = 0.913, p = 0.004). Conclusion. Neurobiological and immune variables determine the psychopathological constructs strictly in left-handers.