Abstract
For some patients with medically refractory epilepsy (MRE), surgery is a safe and effective treatment for controlling epilepsy. However, the functional consequences of such surgery on brain activity and connectivity in children remain unknown. In the present study, we carried out a longitudinal study using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in 10 children with MRE before and again at a mean of 79 days after surgery, as well as in a group of 28 healthy controls. Compared with the controls, children with epilepsy exhibited abnormalities in intrinsic activity in the thalamus, putamen, pallidum, insula, hippocampus, cerebellum, and cingulate gyrus both before and after surgery. Longitudinal analyses showed that the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) increased in the parietal–frontal cortex and decreased in the deep nuclei from pre- to post-surgery. The percentage changes in ALFF values in the deep nuclei were positively correlated with the age of epilepsy onset. Functional connectivity (FC) analyses demonstrated a reorganization of FC architecture after surgery. These changes in brain activity and FC after surgery might indicate that the previously disrupted functional interactions were reorganized after surgery. All these results provide preliminary evidence that the age of epilepsy onset may have some potential to predict the outcome of brain functional reorganization after surgery in children with MRE.
Highlights
Epilepsy is the second most common neurological disease worldwide
The patient group showed a higher amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in the bilateral thalamus, putamen, temporal lobe, and cerebellum compared with the control group
The present study investigated epilepsy surgery-induced changes in brain activation and Functional connectivity (FC) patterns in a group of 10 children with medically refractory epilepsy (MRE) using resting-state fMRI
Summary
Epilepsy is the second most common neurological disease worldwide. The mainstay of epilepsy management is therapy with antiepileptic drugs. Previous studies have shown that up to one-third of all patients with epilepsy are resistant to medical treatment [1]. It is widely accepted that epilepsy surgery is a safe and effective treatment in children diagnosed with. Surgery Effect in Epilepsy Children medically refractory epilepsy (MRE) [2, 3]. Successful epilepsy surgery controls seizures, and substantially improves patients’ cognition, behavior, and quality of life [4]. Despite these behavioral observations, the exact neural mechanisms underlying these phenomena remain obscure
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
