Resting-state brain entropy in right temporal lobe epilepsy and its relationship with alertness

To date, no functional MRI (fMRI) studies have focused on brain entropy in right temporal lobe epilepsy (rTLE) patients. Here, we characterized brain entropy (BEN) alterations in patients with rTLE using resting-state functional MRI(rs-fMRI) and explored the relationship between BEN and alertness.

Thirty-one rTLE patients and 33 controls underwent MRI scanning to investigate differences in BEN and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in regions of interest (ROIs) between patients and controls. Correlation analyses were performed to examine relationships between the BEN of each ROI and alertness reaction times (RTs) in rTLE patients.

Compared with controls, the BEN of rTLE patients was significantly increased in the right middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, and other regions of the left hemisphere and significantly decreased in the right middle frontal gyrus and left supplementary motor area (p < .05). The rs-FCs between the ROIs (at p < .01, with the left superior parietal lobule and right precentral gyrus defined as ROI1 and ROI2, respectively) and the whole brain showed an increasing trend in rTLE patients. In addition, the BEN of ROI2 was associated with the intrinsic alertness and phasic alertness RTs of patients with rTLE.

Our findings suggest that BEN is altered in patients with rTLE and that decreased BEN in the right precentral gyrus is positively related to intrinsic and phasic alertness; the abnormal FC in the brain regions with altered entropy suggests a reconstruction of brain functional connectivity. These findings suggest that BEN mapping may provide a useful tool for probing brain mechanisms related to TLE.