Cognition in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: A study with long-term VEEG and RS-fMRI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between alterations of functional brain network and cognition in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) as a function of spike-wave index (SWI) during slow wave sleep.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) data and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) were collected from two groups of patients with BECTS, including a SWI<50% group (5 cases) and a SWI≥50% group (7 cases). The SWI was calculated from the long-term video-electroencephalogram monitoring (one sleep cycle was included at least). The RS-fMRI data were analyzed by regional homogeneity (ReHo) method.

There were three main findings. Firstly, Full Intelligence Quotient (FIQ), Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ), and Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) of the SWI≥50% group were significantly lower than SWI<50% group (p<0.05). Secondly, there was a negative correlation between the FIQ, VIQ, PIQ, and SWI (p<0.05), and the FIQ, VIQ, and PIQ were not dependent on age, age of onset, disease course, years of education, and total number of seizures (p>0.05). Finally, compared with the SWI<50% group, the SWI≥50% group showed increased ReHo in the bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral premotor area, bilateral subcortical structure, right temporal lobe, and bilateral insular lobe, while they showed decreased ReHo in the posterior cingulate cortex and posterior of right inferior temporal lobe.

The alterations of functional brain network caused by the frequent discharges during slow wave sleep could affect cognition in patients with BECTS.