Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Complex MONDO:0005115 Show in embeddings browser Epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy is a focal epilepsy in which seizures arise from temporal lobe networks, often involving mesial temporal structures and commonly associated with memory and other cognitive deficits.

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2
Pathophys.
2
Phenotypes
2
Medical Actions
1
Subtypes
4
Datasets
◆

Subtypes

1
Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy subtype defined by hippocampal sclerosis, memory impairment, and frequent drug resistance.
⚙

Pathophysiology

2
Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance
Temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with altered excitation/inhibition balance across temporal and connected cortical regions, with molecular correlates implicating both GABAergic and glutamatergic signaling.
pyramidal neuron CL:0000598 Cell Ontology (CL) Relation: this pathophysiological event involves this cell type This pathophysiological event involves pyramidal neuron (CL:0000598). CL:0000598 is a cell type from the Cell Ontology. GABAergic interneuron CL:0000617 Cell Ontology (CL) Relation: this pathophysiological event involves this cell type This pathophysiological event involves GABAergic interneuron, annotated with GABAergic neuron (CL:0000617). CL:0000617 is a cell type from the Cell Ontology.
chemical synaptic transmission GO:0007268 Gene Ontology (GO) Relation: this pathophysiological event involves this biological process This pathophysiological event involves chemical synaptic transmission (GO:0007268). GO:0007268 is a biological process from the Gene Ontology.
temporal lobe UBERON:0001871 Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology (UBERON) Relation: this pathophysiological event occurs in this anatomical location This pathophysiological event occurs in temporal lobe (UBERON:0001871). UBERON:0001871 is an anatomical location from the Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology. entorhinal cortex UBERON:0002728 Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology (UBERON) Relation: this pathophysiological event occurs in this anatomical location This pathophysiological event occurs in entorhinal cortex (UBERON:0002728). UBERON:0002728 is an anatomical location from the Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology.
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:39056027 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy showed a significantly larger exponent, corresponding to inhibition-directed E/I balance, in bilateral frontal and temporal regions."
Directly supports altered excitation/inhibition balance in temporal lobe epilepsy at the network level.
PMID:39056027 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Limited to patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, we detected a significant correlation between the exponent and the cortical expression of GABRA1, GRIN2A, GABRD, GABRG2, KCNA2 and PDYN genes."
Supports molecular correlates of altered excitation/inhibition balance in temporal lobe epilepsy.
Thalamocortical Network Dysfunction
Vulnerable thalamocortical pathways can contribute to cognitive dysfunction in temporal lobe epilepsy, indicating that the disorder affects distributed neural circuits beyond the temporal focus itself.
transmission of nerve impulse GO:0019226 Gene Ontology (GO) Relation: this pathophysiological event involves this biological process This pathophysiological event involves transmission of nerve impulse (GO:0019226). GO:0019226 is a biological process from the Gene Ontology.
temporal lobe UBERON:0001871 Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology (UBERON) Relation: this pathophysiological event occurs in this anatomical location This pathophysiological event occurs in temporal lobe (UBERON:0001871). UBERON:0001871 is an anatomical location from the Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology. dorsal plus ventral thalamus UBERON:0001897 Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology (UBERON) Relation: this pathophysiological event occurs in this anatomical location This pathophysiological event occurs in dorsal plus ventral thalamus (UBERON:0001897). UBERON:0001897 is an anatomical location from the Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:29880477 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Our results give insight into vulnerable neural networks in pediatric focal epilepsy and suggest thalamocortical pathway damage as a potential mechanism of executive function impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy but not frontal lobe epilepsy."
Supports a distributed thalamocortical circuit mechanism for cognitive dysfunction in temporal lobe epilepsy, though this evidence is specific to a pediatric cohort.
●

Phenotypes

2
Seizures VERY_FREQUENT Neurological HP:0007359 Human Phenotype Ontology (HP) Relation: this clinical feature is this phenotype This clinical feature is Focal-onset seizure (HP:0007359). HP:0007359 is a phenotype from the Human Phenotype Ontology.
Memory Impairment FREQUENT Cognitive HP:0002354 Human Phenotype Ontology (HP) Relation: this clinical feature is this phenotype This clinical feature is Memory impairment (HP:0002354). HP:0002354 is a phenotype from the Human Phenotype Ontology.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:39056027 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Lower E/I in the left entorhinal and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices corresponded to a lower performance of short-term verbal memory."
Supports memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy, but the cited study specifically addresses short-term verbal memory performance.
💊

Medical Actions

2
Antiseizure Medication Therapy
Action: antiepileptic drug therapyNCI Thesaurus (NCIT) Relation: this treatment is this clinical intervention This treatment is antiepileptic drug therapy, annotated with Anticonvulsant Therapy (NCIT:C64172). NCIT:C64172 is a clinical intervention from the NCI Thesaurus. Ontology label: Anticonvulsant Therapy NCIT:C64172
Initial management of temporal lobe epilepsy is pharmacotherapy using antiseizure medications used across focal epilepsies, although many patients do not achieve durable seizure freedom and later meet criteria for drug-resistant disease.
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:9046965 SUPPORT Other
"Initial management of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy is with antiepileptic drugs, but these control seizures in only half the patients."
Supports antiseizure medication therapy as first-line management in TLE, while also showing that medication failure is common.
PMID:38888005 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"All approved ASMs were effective as add-on treatment for focal epilepsy."
Supports ongoing pharmacotherapy in TLE because TLE is a focal epilepsy syndrome, although the evidence is not specific to TLE alone.
Epilepsy Surgery for Drug-Resistant Disease
Action: surgical procedureNCI Thesaurus (NCIT) Relation: this treatment is this clinical intervention This treatment is surgical procedure (NCIT:C15329). NCIT:C15329 is a clinical intervention from the NCI Thesaurus. Ontology label: Surgical Procedure NCIT:C15329
Platform: Surgery
In carefully selected patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy, surgical treatment offers substantially higher rates of seizure freedom than continued medical therapy and remains a key escalation path once pharmacoresistance is established.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:11484687 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"At one year, the cumulative proportion of patients who were free of seizures impairing awareness was 58 percent in the surgical group and 8 percent in the medical group (P<0.001)."
Supports surgical treatment as an effective option for carefully selected patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy.
📊

Related Datasets

4
Hippocampal epitranscriptomic (m6A) in human model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy geo:GSE297566
Analogous to DNA methylation and protein phosphorylation it is now well understood that RNA is also subject to extensive processing and modification. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal RNA modification and regulates RNA fate in several ways including stability and translational efficiency. The role of m6A in both experimental and human epilepsy remains unknown. Here we use transcriptome-wide m6A arrays to obtain a detailed analysis of the hippocampal m6A-ome from human temporal lobe epilepsy samples. We show that epileptic tissue displays disrupted metabolic and autophagic pathways which may be directly linked to m6A-processing.
human METHYLATION n=48
PMID:40693462
Identified by GEO DataSets index search for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (scripts/discover_datasets.py); accession and metadata verified against NCBI E-utilities on 2026-08-01. Title, sample count, and organism are GEO's own values.
Genome‑wideBrain DNAMethylationandGeneExpression Patterns Unravel Epigenetic Reprogramming in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy geo:GSE272142
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is the most common drug-resistant epilepsy in adults, characterized by hippocampus sclerosis. To date, the etiology of MTLE epileptogenesis and the molecular mechanisms underlying hippocampus sclerosis remain largely unclear. Altered genome-wide DNA methylation patterns and differential gene expression have been reported to be involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of epileptogenesis. To discover epigenetic reprogramming patterns associated with MTLE, we used a higher-throughput microarray, Illumina Infinium 850 K BeadChip, and RNA sequence to analyze epigenome-wide DNA methylation and related gene expressions.
human BULK RNA SEQ n=12
Identified by GEO DataSets index search for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (scripts/discover_datasets.py); accession and metadata verified against NCBI E-utilities on 2026-08-01. Title, sample count, and organism are GEO's own values.
Meisal temporal lobe epilepsy sequencing study ega:EGAS00001003922
Our understanding of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is one of the most common forms of drug-resistant epilepsy in humans. Using RNA- and small RNA-sequencing in parallel, we explored differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus and cortex of MTLE patients who had undergone surgical resection and non-epileptic controls. We found significant enrichment for astrocytic and microglial genes amongst up-regulated genes and down-regulation of neuron-specific genes in the hippocampus of MTLE patients. The transcriptome profile of the small RNAs reflected disease state more robustly than mRNAs, even across brain regions which show very little pathology.
human
European Genome-phenome Archive study, matched because the disease is named in the study's own title ("Temporal Lobe Epilepsy"); description-level mentions were not accepted. EGA study_type: Other. Controlled access -- data require a Data Access Agreement. EGA metadata retrieved 2026-08-01.
Proteomic profile of hippocampus regions from the pilocarpine medial temporal lobe epilepsy model massive:MSV000094401
Label-free Proteomic profile of the dentate gyrus (dorsal and ventral) and CA3 (dorsal and ventral) microdissected from the hippocampus of the pilocarpine model of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
Located via OmicsDI, which aggregates across omics repositories; this record comes from massive. Only repositories with no other discovery route in this project and with a working accession resolver are curated from OmicsDI -- GEO, ArrayExpress, PRIDE, MetaboLights and EGA hits are excluded as duplicates of dedicated passes. Matched because the disease is named in the dataset's own title ("Temporal Lobe Epilepsy"). Retrieved 2026-08-02.
{ }

Source YAML

click to show 
name: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
creation_date: '2026-04-05T18:58:47Z'
description: >-
  Temporal lobe epilepsy is a focal epilepsy in which seizures arise from
  temporal lobe networks, often involving mesial temporal structures and
  commonly associated with memory and other cognitive deficits.
category: Complex
parents:
- Epilepsy
disease_term:
  preferred_term: temporal lobe epilepsy
  term:
    id: MONDO:0005115
    label: temporal lobe epilepsy
has_subtypes:
- name: Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis
  description: >-
    Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy subtype defined by hippocampal sclerosis,
    memory impairment, and frequent drug resistance.
pathophysiology:
- name: Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance
  description: >-
    Temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with altered excitation/inhibition
    balance across temporal and connected cortical regions, with molecular
    correlates implicating both GABAergic and glutamatergic signaling.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: pyramidal neuron
    term:
      id: CL:0000598
      label: pyramidal neuron
  - preferred_term: GABAergic interneuron
    term:
      id: CL:0000617
      label: GABAergic neuron
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: chemical synaptic transmission
    term:
      id: GO:0007268
      label: chemical synaptic transmission
  locations:
  - preferred_term: temporal lobe
    term:
      id: UBERON:0001871
      label: temporal lobe
  - preferred_term: entorhinal cortex
    term:
      id: UBERON:0002728
      label: entorhinal cortex
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:39056027
    reference_title: "Excitation/Inhibition balance relates to cognitive function and gene expression in temporal lobe epilepsy: a high density EEG assessment with aperiodic exponent."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy showed a significantly larger
      exponent, corresponding to inhibition-directed E/I balance, in bilateral
      frontal and temporal regions.
    explanation: >-
      Directly supports altered excitation/inhibition balance in temporal lobe
      epilepsy at the network level.
  - reference: PMID:39056027
    reference_title: "Excitation/Inhibition balance relates to cognitive function and gene expression in temporal lobe epilepsy: a high density EEG assessment with aperiodic exponent."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Limited to patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, we detected a
      significant correlation between the exponent and the cortical expression
      of GABRA1, GRIN2A, GABRD, GABRG2, KCNA2 and PDYN genes.
    explanation: >-
      Supports molecular correlates of altered excitation/inhibition balance in
      temporal lobe epilepsy.
- name: Thalamocortical Network Dysfunction
  description: >-
    Vulnerable thalamocortical pathways can contribute to cognitive dysfunction
    in temporal lobe epilepsy, indicating that the disorder affects distributed
    neural circuits beyond the temporal focus itself.
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: transmission of nerve impulse
    term:
      id: GO:0019226
      label: transmission of nerve impulse
  locations:
  - preferred_term: temporal lobe
    term:
      id: UBERON:0001871
      label: temporal lobe
  - preferred_term: dorsal plus ventral thalamus
    term:
      id: UBERON:0001897
      label: dorsal plus ventral thalamus
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:29880477
    reference_title: "Thalamocortical Connections and Executive Function in Pediatric Temporal and Frontal Lobe Epilepsy."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Our results give insight into vulnerable neural networks in pediatric
      focal epilepsy and suggest thalamocortical pathway damage as a potential
      mechanism of executive function impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy but
      not frontal lobe epilepsy.
    explanation: >-
      Supports a distributed thalamocortical circuit mechanism for cognitive
      dysfunction in temporal lobe epilepsy, though this evidence is specific
      to a pediatric cohort.
phenotypes:
- name: Seizures
  category: Neurological
  frequency: VERY_FREQUENT
  diagnostic: true
  description: >-
    Recurrent focal seizures originating from temporal lobe networks, often
    with impaired awareness and temporal-lobe semiology.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Focal-onset seizure
    term:
      id: HP:0007359
      label: Focal-onset seizure
- name: Memory Impairment
  category: Cognitive
  frequency: FREQUENT
  description: >-
    Verbal short-term memory can be impaired and correlates with altered
    excitation/inhibition balance in entorhinal and frontal cortical regions.
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Memory impairment
    term:
      id: HP:0002354
      label: Memory impairment
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:39056027
    reference_title: "Excitation/Inhibition balance relates to cognitive function and gene expression in temporal lobe epilepsy: a high density EEG assessment with aperiodic exponent."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Lower E/I in the left entorhinal and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal
      cortices corresponded to a lower performance of short-term verbal memory.
    explanation: >-
      Supports memory impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy, but the cited study
      specifically addresses short-term verbal memory performance.
treatments:
- name: Antiseizure Medication Therapy
  description: >-
    Initial management of temporal lobe epilepsy is pharmacotherapy using
    antiseizure medications used across focal epilepsies, although many
    patients do not achieve durable seizure freedom and later meet criteria for
    drug-resistant disease.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: antiepileptic drug therapy
    term:
      id: NCIT:C64172
      label: Anticonvulsant Therapy
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:9046965
    reference_title: "Treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Initial management of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy is with
      antiepileptic drugs, but these control seizures in only half the
      patients.
    explanation: >-
      Supports antiseizure medication therapy as first-line management in TLE,
      while also showing that medication failure is common.
  - reference: PMID:38888005
    reference_title: "Efficacy and safety of add-on antiseizure medications for focal epilepsy: A network meta-analysis."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      All approved ASMs were effective as add-on treatment for focal epilepsy.
    explanation: >-
      Supports ongoing pharmacotherapy in TLE because TLE is a focal epilepsy
      syndrome, although the evidence is not specific to TLE alone.
- name: Epilepsy Surgery for Drug-Resistant Disease
  description: >-
    In carefully selected patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy,
    surgical treatment offers substantially higher rates of seizure freedom
    than continued medical therapy and remains a key escalation path once
    pharmacoresistance is established.
  therapeutic_modality: SURGERY
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: surgical procedure
    term:
      id: NCIT:C15329
      label: Surgical Procedure
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:11484687
    reference_title: "A randomized, controlled trial of surgery for temporal-lobe epilepsy."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      At one year, the cumulative proportion of patients who were free of
      seizures impairing awareness was 58 percent in the surgical group and 8
      percent in the medical group (P<0.001).
    explanation: >-
      Supports surgical treatment as an effective option for carefully selected
      patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy.
datasets:
- accession: geo:GSE297566
  title: Hippocampal epitranscriptomic (m6A) in human model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
  description: Analogous to DNA methylation and protein phosphorylation it is now well understood that RNA is also subject to extensive processing and modification. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal RNA modification and regulates RNA fate in several ways including stability and translational efficiency. The role of m6A in both experimental and human epilepsy remains unknown. Here we use transcriptome-wide m6A arrays to obtain a detailed analysis of the hippocampal m6A-ome from human temporal lobe epilepsy samples. We show that epileptic tissue displays disrupted metabolic and autophagic pathways which may be directly linked to m6A-processing.
  organism:
    preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
  data_type: METHYLATION
  sample_count: 48
  publication: PMID:40693462
  notes: Identified by GEO DataSets index search for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (scripts/discover_datasets.py); accession and metadata verified against NCBI E-utilities on 2026-08-01. Title, sample count, and organism are GEO's own values.
- accession: geo:GSE272142
  title: Genome‑wideBrain DNAMethylationandGeneExpression Patterns Unravel Epigenetic Reprogramming in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
  description: Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is the most common drug-resistant epilepsy in adults, characterized by hippocampus sclerosis. To date, the etiology of MTLE epileptogenesis and the molecular mechanisms underlying hippocampus sclerosis remain largely unclear. Altered genome-wide DNA methylation patterns and differential gene expression have been reported to be involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of epileptogenesis. To discover epigenetic reprogramming patterns associated with MTLE, we used a higher-throughput microarray, Illumina Infinium 850 K BeadChip, and RNA sequence to analyze epigenome-wide DNA methylation and related gene expressions.
  organism:
    preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
  data_type: BULK_RNA_SEQ
  sample_count: 12
  notes: Identified by GEO DataSets index search for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (scripts/discover_datasets.py); accession and metadata verified against NCBI E-utilities on 2026-08-01. Title, sample count, and organism are GEO's own values.
- accession: ega:EGAS00001003922
  title: Meisal temporal lobe epilepsy sequencing study
  description: Our understanding of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is one of the most common forms of drug-resistant epilepsy in humans. Using RNA- and small RNA-sequencing in parallel, we explored differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus and cortex of MTLE patients who had undergone surgical resection and non-epileptic controls. We found significant enrichment for astrocytic and microglial genes amongst up-regulated genes and down-regulation of neuron-specific genes in the hippocampus of MTLE patients. The transcriptome profile of the small RNAs reflected disease state more robustly than mRNAs, even across brain regions which show very little pathology.
  organism:
    preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
  notes: 'European Genome-phenome Archive study, matched because the disease is named in the study''s own title ("Temporal Lobe Epilepsy"); description-level mentions were not accepted. EGA study_type: Other. Controlled access -- data require a Data Access Agreement. EGA metadata retrieved 2026-08-01.'
- accession: massive:MSV000094401
  title: Proteomic profile of hippocampus regions from the pilocarpine medial temporal lobe epilepsy model
  description: Label-free Proteomic profile of the dentate gyrus (dorsal and ventral) and CA3 (dorsal and ventral) microdissected from the hippocampus of the pilocarpine model of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
  notes: Located via OmicsDI, which aggregates across omics repositories; this record comes from massive. Only repositories with no other discovery route in this project and with a working accession resolver are curated from OmicsDI -- GEO, ArrayExpress, PRIDE, MetaboLights and EGA hits are excluded as duplicates of dedicated passes. Matched because the disease is named in the dataset's own title ("Temporal Lobe Epilepsy"). Retrieved 2026-08-02.