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A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
Published on: November 13, 2016
Resting-State EEG Functional Connectivity in Children with Rolandic Spikes with or without Clinical Seizures
Min-Lan Tsai1,2, Chuang-Chin Wang3, Feng-Chin Lee1,2
1Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan.
Insights
Children with rolandic spikes, even without seizures, show altered brain network function. Increased connectivity in the theta band suggests potential differences in epilepsy development and may inform treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epilepsy Research
- Brain Network Analysis
Background:
- Epilepsy is associated with alterations in dynamic brain network function.
- Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is a common pediatric focal epilepsy.
- Understanding functional connectivity (FC) in BECTS is crucial for clinical management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze EEG functional connectivity (FC) in children with rolandic spikes, with or without seizures, compared to controls.
- To investigate the relationship between FC and clinical parameters in children experiencing rolandic spikes.
- To explore the implications of altered brain network function on seizure threshold and treatment.
Main Methods:
- EEG functional connectivity analysis using graph theory and network-based statistics.
- Evaluation of global efficiency, clustering coefficient, betweenness centrality, and nodal strength across four frequency bands.
- Comparison of FC metrics between children with rolandic spikes (with/without seizures) and age-matched controls.
Main Results:
- Children with rolandic spikes without seizures exhibited significantly increased global efficiency, clustering coefficient, nodal strength, and connectivity strength in the theta band compared to controls.
- Decreased mean betweenness centrality was observed exclusively in BECTS patients with clinical seizures.
- Age at seizure onset positively correlated with EEG-FC strength, and reduced betweenness centrality suggested weaker local connectivity potentially lowering seizure threshold.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric rolandic spikes, even without overt seizures, are associated with significant alterations in brain network dynamics, particularly in the theta frequency band.
- Reduced betweenness centrality in patients with seizures may indicate impaired local network function contributing to seizure susceptibility.
- These findings have potential implications for refining treatment strategies in children diagnosed with rolandic spikes.
Abstract:
Alterations in dynamic brain network function are increasingly recognized in epilepsy. Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS), or benign rolandic seizures, is the most common idiopathic focal epilepsy in children. In this study, we analyzed EEG functional connectivity (FC) among children with rolandic spikes with or without clinical seizures as compared to controls, to investigate the relationship between FC and clinical parameters in children with rolandic spikes. The FC analysis based on graph theory and network-based statistics in different frequency bands evaluated global efficiency, clustering coefficient, betweenness centrality, and nodal strength in four frequency bands. Similar to BECTS patients with seizures, children with rolandic spikes without seizures had significantly increased global efficiency, mean clustering coefficient, mean nodal strength, and connectivity strength, specifically in the theta frequency band at almost all proportional thresholds, compared with age-matched controls. Decreased mean betweenness centrality was only present in BECTS patients with seizures. Age at seizure onset was significantly positively associated with the strength of EEG-FC. The decreased function of betweenness centrality was only presented in BECTS patients with clinical seizures, suggesting weaker local connectivity may lower the seizure threshold. These findings may affect treatment policy in children with rolandic spikes.
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