Functional connectivity differences in speech production networks in Chinese children with Rolandic epilepsy

Previous studies have demonstrated that language impairments are frequently observed in patients with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS). However, how BECTS affects language processing in the Chinese population remains unclear. With the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in an overt picture-naming task, the present study examined functional connectivity in 27 children with BECTS and 26 healthy controls. The results indicated that children with BECTS showed altered functional connectivity associated with speech production between the left precuneus and the right cerebellum, between the right precuneus and the bilateral thalamus and the left superior temporal gyrus, between the right cuneus and the right postcentral gyrus and the right inferior parietal lobule, and between the right cerebellum and right middle frontal gyrus. Collectively, the findings in this study demonstrate the abnormal functional connectivity basis of speech production in Chinese children with BECTS, providing clues to understanding the brain mechanisms of language-related network in patients with BECTS.