Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026
12:09
Network Analysis of the Default Mode Network Using Functional Connectivity MRI in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Published on: August 5, 2014
18.1K
Mapping Lesion-Related Epilepsy to a Human Brain Network.
Frederic L W V J Schaper1,2,3, Janne Nordberg4, Alexander L Cohen1,2,5,6
1Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
JAMA Neurology
|July 3, 2023
Summary
Brain lesions linked to epilepsy connect to a specific network involving the basal ganglia and cerebellum. This finding aids in identifying epilepsy risk after brain injury and guides brain stimulation treatments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Epilepsy development is not fully understood, particularly why lesions in certain brain areas cause seizures while others do not.
- Identifying specific brain regions and networks associated with epilepsy is crucial for improving patient prognosis and guiding therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if lesion locations associated with epilepsy correlate with specific brain regions and networks.
- To investigate the potential of lesion network mapping for understanding epilepsy etiology and guiding treatment.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study utilizing lesion location and lesion network mapping in patients with poststroke epilepsy and controls.
- Analysis included a discovery dataset (76 epilepsy patients, 625 controls) and validation in 4 independent cohorts (total 347 epilepsy, 1126 controls).
- Therapeutic relevance assessed via deep brain stimulation (DBS) sites in 30 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Main Results:
- Lesions associated with epilepsy, though diverse in location, consistently mapped to a specific brain network functionally connected to the basal ganglia and cerebellum.
- Lesion connectivity to this network significantly increased epilepsy risk post-stroke (OR, 2.82) and across various lesion types (OR, 2.85).
- Connectivity of DBS sites to this network correlated with improved seizure control (r=0.63) in drug-resistant epilepsy patients.
Conclusions:
- Epilepsy related to brain lesions is associated with a specific human brain network.
- This network mapping approach can identify individuals at higher risk of developing epilepsy after a brain lesion.
- Findings support the use of brain network analysis to guide targeted brain stimulation therapies for epilepsy.
