Altered coupling between resting-state glucose metabolism and functional activity in epilepsy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Epilepsy Research

Background:

• Medial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (mTLE-HS) is characterized by altered brain function and metabolism.
• Hybrid PET/MR imaging allows simultaneous assessment of energy consumption and neural activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between resting-state energy consumption and neural activity in mTLE-HS.
• To explore if bioenergetic coupling is disturbed in mTLE-HS and relates to seizure outcomes.

Main Methods:

• 26 mTLE-HS patients and controls underwent hybrid 18F-FDG PET/MR scans.
• Quantified energy consumption (SUVR) and neural activity (ReHo, fALFF) from resting-state fMRI.
• Correlated SUVR with ReHo and fALFF, and assessed relationships with surgical outcomes.

Main Results:

• Patients with mTLE-HS exhibited significantly higher spatial correlations between SUVR and fMRI metrics (fALFF/SUVR, ReHo/SUVR) compared to controls.
• Enhanced fALFF/SUVR coupling was associated with favorable surgical outcomes (Engel class IA).

Conclusions:

• Altered bioenergetic coupling in gray matter is evident in mTLE-HS.
• This coupling is linked to seizure control after surgery, suggesting potential biomarkers for epilepsy surgery planning.