Cortical and thalamic resting-state functional connectivity is altered in childhood absence epilepsy

• Published in: Epilepsy research Vol. 99; no. 3; pp. 327 - 334
• Main Authors: Masterton, Richard A, Carney, Patrick W, Jackson, Graeme D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 01-05-2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Absence; Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Child; Child, Preschool; Electroencephalography - methods; Epilepsy, Absence - diagnosis; Epilepsy, Absence - physiopathology; Female; fMRI; Functional connectivity; Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Malformations of the nervous system; Medical sciences; Nerve Net - physiology; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Rest - physiology; Thalamus - physiology; Functional connectivity; fMRI; Absence; Human; Nervous system diseases; Epilepsy; Central nervous system disease; Child; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Cerebral disorder
• ISSN: 0920-1211; 1872-6844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2011.12.014

Summary Purpose Functional imaging studies have identified a common network of brain regions that activate and deactivate during the generalised spike wave (GSW) discharges of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE). Functional connectivity within this network is also altered during the resting state. In this study our aim was to assess functional connectivity throughout the whole brain of patients with CAE. Methods We studied a group of eleven patients with untreated CAE and eleven matched controls using resting-state fMRI. We measured functional connectivity between every pair of voxels and generated images of “whole-brain” functional connectivity by counting the number of functional connections of each voxel. Key findings There were marked differences between CAE patients and controls in whole brain functional connectivity. The patients had decreased connectivity in the thalamus and basal ganglia and increased connectivity in the medial occipital cortex. Significance These findings suggest enduring changes in function of the thalamus and the cortex in CAE patients even when there is no GSW activity. These human functional connectivity data support the findings in animal models of involvement of cortex as well as thalamus in absence epilepsy.