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Functional magnetic resonance imaging of human absence seizures
Afraim Salek-Haddadi1, Louis Lemieux, Martin Merschhemke
1Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London. a.haddadi@ion.ucl.ac.uk
Abstract:
We studied a patient with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and frequent absences, using electroencephalogram-correlated functional magnetic resonance imaging. Four prolonged runs of generalized spike-wave discharge occurred during a 35-minute experiment. Time-locked activation was observed bilaterally within the thalami in conjunction with widespread but symmetrical cortical deactivation with a frontal maximum. We demonstrate the reciprocal participation of focal thalamic and widespread cortical networks during human absence seizures and suggest reductions in cortical blood flow, in response to synchronized electroencephalogram activity.