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Updated: May 2, 2026
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A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
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Generalized tonic-clonic seizures: aberrant interhemispheric functional and anatomical connectivity
Gong-Jun Ji1, Zhiqiang Zhang, Qiang Xu
1From the Center of Cognitive and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, 126 Wenzhou Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310015, China (G.J.J., Y.F.Z., W.L.); and Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Clinic School of Medical College, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (Z.Z., Q.X., G.L.).
Radiology
|March 5, 2014
Summary
Idiopathic generalized epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) shows altered brain connectivity. Specifically, the anterior cingulate cortex connectivity and its associated fiber bundle may be key to GTCS.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epilepsy Research
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) affects brain function.
- Understanding interhemispheric connectivity is crucial for epilepsy research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in interhemispheric functional and anatomic connectivity in patients with GTCS compared to healthy controls.
- To identify potential neuroimaging biomarkers for GTCS.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of resting-state functional and diffusion-tensor imaging MRI data from 52 GTCS patients and 65 controls.
- Calculation of functional connectivity and tractography of white matter pathways.
- Comparison of fractional anisotropy and fiber length between groups.
Main Results:
- Patients with GTCS exhibited increased interhemispheric functional connectivity in the bilateral cuneus and anterior cingulate cortex.
- Decreased functional connectivity was observed in the olfactory cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and temporal pole.
- Shorter fiber length of commissural bundles connecting the anterior cingulate cortex and cuneus was found in GTCS patients.
Conclusions:
- The bilateral anterior cingulate cortex and its connecting fibers are implicated in the pathophysiology of GTCS.
- These findings suggest the genu of the corpus callosum's commissural fiber bundle as a potential surgical target for intractable GTCS.
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