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Temporal lobe epilepsy with or without hippocampal sclerosis: Structural and functional connectivity using advanced MRI techniques
Author(s) -
Lee Dong Ah,
Lee HoJoon,
Kim Hyung Chan,
Park Kang Min
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of neuroimaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1552-6569
pISSN - 1051-2284
DOI - 10.1111/jon.12898
Subject(s) - betweenness centrality , diffusion mri , hippocampal sclerosis , temporal lobe , medicine , default mode network , connectome , epilepsy , functional connectivity , neuroscience , clustering coefficient , nuclear medicine , magnetic resonance imaging , centrality , psychology , artificial intelligence , radiology , computer science , cluster analysis , mathematics , statistics
Background and Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in structural connectivity based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional connectivity based on arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI between temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients with and without hippocampal sclerosis (HS). Methods We enrolled 50 patients with TLE, including 25 patients with HS and 25 patients without HS, who underwent brain MRI, including DTI and ASL. We calculated the network parameters of structural connectivity based on DTI and functional connectivity based on ASL using a graph theoretical analysis. The parameters included global network measures (radius, diameter, characteristic path length, global efficiency, local efficiency, mean clustering coefficient, transitivity, assortative coefficient, and small‐worldness index) and a local network measure (betweenness centrality). Results The global and local network measures of structural connectivity were not different between TLE patients with and without HS. However, significant differences in functional connectivity existed between the two groups. The radius and diameter of the global network measures in the TLE patients with HS were significantly increased compared with those without HS (4.140 vs. 3.140, p = 0.045; 6.812 vs. 5.132, p = 0.049; respectively). No differences were detected between other global network measures of functional connectivity and local network measure. Conclusions Significant differences in global network measures of functional connectivity based on ASL existed between TLE patients with and without HS. These findings suggest that TLE patients with HS exhibit a more disconnected functional brain network than those without HS.