Abnormal ventral attention network homogeneity in patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy

The attention network is the structural basis of cognitive function. As one of the two known attention networks, the ventral attention network (VAN) has a significant impact on the cognitive impairment of patients with epilepsy. Nevertheless, changes in network homogeneity (NH) are rarely reported in the VAN of right temporal lobe epilepsy (rTLE) patients. Therefore, we explored the NH of the VAN in rTLE patients in this study.

Seventy rTLE patients and 69 healthy controls were recruited. All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which was the primary method of evaluation. The executive control reaction time (ECRT) was examined via the attentional network test. The Data Processing Assistant for Resting-State fMRI (DPARSF) was used to analyze NH. The independent component analysis (ICA) and correlation analysis were used in data analysis.

Compared to the control group, patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy showed a lower NH in the right superior temporal gyrus, and a longer ECRT. However, abnormal NH values had no significant association with the clinical measurements.

Patients with right temporal lobe epilepsy have abnormal NH values in the VAN, and the executive functions in rTLE patients are also altered. The altered NH values in VAN may help provide new insights into the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in rTLE.