The structure-function dissociation in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with temporopolar blurring

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Network Neuroscience
• Epilepsy Research

Background:

• Ipsilateral temporopolar blurring (TPB) is linked to white matter degeneration in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS).
• The impact of TPB on large-scale neural network topology in TLE-HS is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate network-level topological alterations associated with TPB in TLE-HS.
• To analyze the interaction between structural and functional connectivity networks in the presence of TPB.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of structural connectivity networks (SCN) and functional connectivity networks (FCN) in TLE-HS patients.
• Graph theory analysis and weighted multiplex participation coefficient (wMxP) calculation to assess network topology and SCN-FCN interaction.

Main Results:

• Altered nodal topological properties were observed between TPB+ and TPB- groups, particularly in the default mode network, visual network, and subcortical regions.
• Patients with TPB showed decreased average wMxP and lower nodal wMxP in the default mode network and ipsilateral thalamus compared to those without TPB.
• Global network organization was similar between groups, suggesting localized topological disruptions.

Conclusions:

• Disrupted topological architecture associated with TPB in TLE-HS is primarily and locally distributed in brain regions connected to the temporal pole.
• The observed dissociation between structural and functional networks may indicate compensatory functional adjustments in TLE.