Correlation between quantitative EEG and MRI in idiopathic generalized epilepsy

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the focal discharges sometimes observed in the electroencephalogram of patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies and subtle structural magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities. The main hypothesis to be assessed is that focal discharges may arise from areas of structural abnormality which can be detected by quantitative neuroimaging. Focal discharges were used for quantitative electroencephalogram source detection. Neuroimaging investigations consisted of voxel-based morphometry and region of interest volumetry. For voxel-based morphometry, volumetric MRI were acquired and processed. The images of each patient were individually compared with a control group. Statistical analysis was used to detect differences in gray matter volumes. Region of interest-based morphometry was automatically performed and used essentially to confirm voxel-based morphometry findings. The localization of the focal discharges on the electroencephalogram was compared to the neuroimaging results. Twenty-two patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies were evaluated. Gray matter abnormalities were detected by voxel-based morphometry analysis in 77% of the patients. There was a good concordance between EEG source detection and voxel-based morphometry. On average, the nearest voxels detected by these methods were 19 mm (mm) apart and the most statistically significant voxels were 34 mm apart. This study suggests that in some cases subtle gray matter abnormalities are associated with focal epileptiform discharges observed in the electroencephalograms of patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies.