title: EEG background activity is abnormal in the temporal and inferior parietal cortex in benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood: a LORETA study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood (BERS) is an epilepsy syndrome with presumably genetic-developmental etiology. The pathological basis of this syndrome is completely unknown. We postulated that a developmental abnormality presumably results in abnormal EEG background activity findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  20 children with typical BERS and an age- and sex-matched group of healthy control children underwent EEG recording and analysis. 60×2 s epochs of waking EEG background activity (without epileptiform potentials and artifacts) were analyzed in the 1-25 Hz frequency range, in very narrow bands (VNB, 1 Hz bandwidth). LORETA (Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography) localized multiple distributed sources of EEG background activity in the Talairach space. LORETA activity (current source density) was computed for 2394 voxels and 25 VNBs. Normalized LORETA data were processed to voxel-wise comparison between the BERS and control groups. Bonferroni-corrected p<0.05 Student's t-values were accepted as statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased LORETA activity was found in the BERS group (as compared to the controls) in the left and right temporal lobes (fusiform gyri, posterior parts of the superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri) and in the angular gyri in the parietal lobes, in the 4-6 Hz VNBs, mainly at 5 Hz.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (1) Areas of abnormal LORETA activity exactly correspond to the temporal and parietal cortical areas that are major components of the Mirsky attention model and also the perisylvian speech network. Thus the LORETA findings may correspond to impaired attention and speech in BERS patients. (2) The LORETA findings may contribute to delineating the epileptic network in BERS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The novel findings may contribute to investigating neuropsychological disturbances and organization of the epileptic network in BERS.
authors.affiliation: Kenézy Hospital Ltd., Department of Neurology, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besenyei
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fekete
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puskás
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hollódy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fogarasi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opposits
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kis
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Clemens
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D019305:Epilepsy, Rolandic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*