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Network Analysis of the Default Mode Network Using Functional Connectivity MRI in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Published on: August 5, 2014
Mapping thalamocortical network pathology in temporal lobe epilepsy.
Boris C Bernhardt1, Neda Bernasconi, Hosung Kim
1Neuroimaging of Epilepsy Laboratory, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Neurology
|December 30, 2011
Summary
Thalamic atrophy in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) correlates with neocortical thinning, indicating the thalamus is a key hub in the epilepsy network. This finding was more pronounced with longer epilepsy duration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The thalamus is a critical relay structure in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
- The precise relationship between thalamic pathology and neocortical changes in TLE is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate thalamocortical network pathology in TLE.
- To map patterns of thalamic atrophy and their statistical relationship to neocortical thinning.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional MRI study of 36 drug-resistant TLE patients and 19 healthy controls.
- Thalamic pathology localized using spherical harmonic description of surface mesh deformations.
- Cortical thickness measured using constrained Laplacian anatomic segmentation.
Main Results:
- Patients with TLE exhibited ipsilateral thalamic atrophy in medial, anterior, and posterior divisions.
- Medial thalamic atrophy correlated with bilateral frontocentral, lateral temporal, and mesiotemporal cortical thinning.
- Thalamic atrophy severity increased with epilepsy duration and history of febrile convulsions.
Conclusions:
- Thalamic pathology is topographically related to neocortical atrophy in TLE.
- These findings support the thalamus's role as a central hub in the TLE pathological network.
