title: [Significance of complex analysis of electrical activity in temporal lobe epilepsy: electrocorticography].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Locating and excising epileptogenic zones is the traditional treatment in pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy. Some patients, however, continue to suffer from attacks even after surgery. Therefore, new hypotheses must be formulated in order to account for the apparent shortcomings of correctly performed surgical procedures.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  An approach that is not traditional in the field, namely complex networks, is used to attempt to show that modifying the properties of the limbic network can lead to the elimination of the attacks, regardless of the location of the epileptogenic zones.
  
  
  METHODS
  The intraoperative electrocorticographic recordings of 20 patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy were utilised in the study. An analysis of complex networks was used to study the local synchronisation activity in the lateral and mesial cortex of the temporal lobe and, essentially, the zones with the highest temporal stability were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Those cortical zones with higher synchronic activity are associated with a greater temporal stability and when these zones are excised during surgery, the patient no longer suffers any disabling attacks. In contrast, when these zones are not excised, the patient continues to have attacks in the post-operative period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings support the hypothesis of the existence of a limbic network, which the lateral and mesial cortices of the temporal lobe are part of, and whose capacity to establish an overall synchronisation is affected when certain zones are removed.
authors: Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Espana.
authors: Agostina
authors: A
authors: Palmigiano
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Pastor
authors: Rafael G
authors: RG
authors: Sola
authors: Guillermo J
authors: GJ
authors: Ortega
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D003344:Cortical Synchronization; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008959:Models, Neurological; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime