Longitudinal brain volumes in children with intractable partial seizures

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pediatric Neurology
• Neuroimaging

Background:

• Cross-sectional studies in children with epilepsy have shown inconsistent changes in brain volume.
• A hypothesis suggests seizures may cause brain injury, leading to reduced brain volume in developing brains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally evaluate gray and white matter volumes in children with partial epilepsy.
• To assess the correlation between brain volume changes and epilepsy onset age or duration.

Main Methods:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed on 20 children with intractable partial epilepsy, 1-7 years apart.
• Total, cerebral, and hemispheric gray and white matter volumes were measured.
• Correlations between volume change, age at onset, and epilepsy duration were analyzed.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in total, cerebral, or hemispheric gray and white matter volumes were observed over time.
• Up to six patients showed a greater than 10% volume loss in specific brain regions.
• No significant correlations were found between volume change and age at epilepsy onset or duration.

Conclusions:

• Short-term monitoring in children with partial epilepsy does not reveal significant brain volume loss.
• Long-term monitoring might be necessary to detect potential volume changes.
• Brain volume may be an insensitive marker; advanced imaging like diffusion tensor imaging may better detect seizure-induced microstructural changes.