Clinical Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Epilepsy

Functional MRI (fMRI) is a noninvasive imaging technique used to map areas of the brain important for language, motor, and visual function before surgery. Language lateralization with fMRI has proven useful as a surrogate for direct memory testing in patients with epilepsy to help predict postoperative morbidity, with Wada testing remaining useful if at risk for global amnesia. Task-based and resting-state fMRI can play a role in the evaluation of patients with generalized epilepsy before disconnective surgery or neuromodulation.