Benign epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes: spike triggered fMRI shows somato-sensory cortex activity.
OBJECTIVE
We performed spike triggered functional MRI (fMRI) in a 12 year old girl with Benign Epilepsy with Centro-temporal Spikes (BECTS) and left-sided spikes. Our aim was to demonstrate the cerebral origin of her interictal spikes.


METHODS
EEG was recorded within the 3 Tesla MRI. Whole brain fMRI images were acquired, beginning 2-3 seconds after spikes. Baseline fMRI images were acquired when there were no spikes for 20 seconds. Image sets were compared with the Student's t-test.


RESULTS
Ten spike and 20 baseline brain volumes were analysed. Focal activiation was seen in the inferior left sensorimotor cortex near the face area. The anterior cingulate was more active during baseline than spikes.


CONCLUSIONS
Left sided epileptiform activity in this patient with BECTS is associated with fMRI activation in the left face region of the somatosensory cortex, which would be consistent with the facial sensorimotor involvement in BECT seizures. The presence of BOLD signal change in other regions raises the possibility that the scalp recorded field of this patient with BECTs may reflect electrical change in more than one brain region.
Archer
John S
JS
Brain Research Institute, Neurosciences Building, Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Banksia Street, Heidelberg West, 3081, Victoria Australia.
Briellman
Regula S
RS
Abbott
David F
DF
Syngeniotis
Ari
A
Wellard
R Mark
RM
Jackson
Graeme D
GD
D000293:Adolescent; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D019305:Epilepsy, Rolandic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D012032:Refractory Period, Electrophysiological / Q000502:physiology; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*