Abnormalities of Cerebral White Matter Microstructure in Children With New-Onset, Untreated Idiopathic-Generalized Epilepsy



Long, Ran, Wang, Yuting, Chen, Lizhou, Deng, Dingmei, Mei, Lan, Mou, Jingping, Tang, Guangcai, Han, Fugang, Kemp, Graham John ORCID: 0000-0002-8324-9666, Gong, Qiyong
et al (show 1 more authors) (2021) Abnormalities of Cerebral White Matter Microstructure in Children With New-Onset, Untreated Idiopathic-Generalized Epilepsy. FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY, 12. 744723-. ISSN 1664-2295, 1664-2295

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Abstract

Despite evidence for microstructural brain alterations in epilepsy patients, little is known about how these develop with age and the progress of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate microstructural abnormalities of the white matter (WM) in children with new-onset, untreated idiopathic-generalized epilepsy (IGE) using the MRI technique of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The study was approved by the institutional review board, and all individuals or their parents gave signed informed consent. In total, 45 patients with IGE (age 5-18 years, male: female 26:19) and 32 healthy controls (HCs; age 5-18 years, male: female 21:11) were included. Voxel-based analysis (VBA) was used to compare patients and controls, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate relationships between altered DTI metrics and clinical parameters. Compared with controls, patients with IGE showed increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the left splenium of the corpus callosum, increased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right WM of the superior and middle frontal gyri, increased axial diffusivity (AD) in the WM of right corona radiata and left occipital lobe, and decreased AD in the WM of the left thalamus and the right middle cerebellar peduncle. There was no correlation between the altered diffusion parameters and clinical measures. Our study demonstrated several distinct microstructural impairments in children with new-onset, untreated IGE, of which altered AD might be the most sensitive marker of dysmyelination. The increased FA in the IGE group might suggest an initiating or compensatory mechanism that is activated prior to cognitive decline in these children.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: epilepsy, white matter, diffusion, anisotropy, cognition
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 10 Jan 2022 15:55
Last Modified: 06 Dec 2024 20:53
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.744723
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.744723
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3146201