title: Localization of focal epileptic discharges using functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In patients with medically refractory epilepsy the accurate localization of the seizure onset zone is critical for successful surgical treatment. The object of this study was to investigate whether the degree of coupling of spontaneous brain activity as measured with functional connectivity MR imaging (fcMR imaging) can accurately identify and localize epileptic discharges.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors studied 6 patients who underwent fcMR imaging presurgical mapping and subsequently underwent invasive electroencephalography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Focal regions of statistically significant increases in connectivity were identified in 5 patients when compared with an ad hoc normative sample of 300 controls. The foci identified by fcMR imaging overlapped the epileptogenic areas identified by invasive encephalography in all 5 patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that fcMR imaging may provide an effective high-spatial resolution and noninvasive method of localizing epileptic discharges in patients with refractory epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA. sms@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Stufflebeam
authors.forename: Hesheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sepulcre
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Randy L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Buckner
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Madsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult