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Updated: Sep 22, 2025
A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
Altered grey matter integrity and network vulnerability relate to epilepsy occurrence in patients with multiple
Dumitru Ciolac1,2,3, Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla1, Yaroslav Winter4,5
1Department of Neurology, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Rhine-Main Neuroscience Network (rmn2), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
Background And Purpose:
The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of compartmentalized grey matter (GM) pathology and network reorganization in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with concomitant epilepsy.
Methods:
From 3-T magnetic resonance imaging scans of 30 MS patients with epilepsy (MSE group; age 41 ± 15 years, 21 females, disease duration 8 ± 6 years, median Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score 3), 60 MS patients without epilepsy (MS group; age 41 ± 12 years, 35 females, disease duration 6 ± 4 years, EDSS score 2), and 60 healthy subjects (HS group; age 40 ± 13 years, 27 females) the regional volumes of GM lesions and of cortical, subcortical and hippocampal structures were quantified. Network topology and vulnerability were modelled within the graph theoretical framework. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to assess the accuracy of GM pathology measures to discriminate between MSE and MS patients.
Results:
Higher lesion volumes within the hippocampus, mesiotemporal cortex and amygdala were detected in the MSE compared to the MS group (all p < 0.05). The MSE group had lower cortical volumes mainly in temporal and parietal areas compared to the MS and HS groups (all p < 0.05). Lower hippocampal tail and presubiculum volumes were identified in both the MSE and MS groups compared to the HS group (all p < 0.05). Network topology in the MSE group was characterized by higher transitivity and assortativity, and higher vulnerability compared to the MS and HS groups (all p < 0.05). Hippocampal lesion volume yielded the highest accuracy (area under the ROC curve 0.80 [0.67-0.91]) in discriminating between MSE and MS patients.
Conclusions:
High lesion load, altered integrity of mesiotemporal GM structures, and network reorganization are associated with a greater propensity for epilepsy occurrence in people with MS.
