title: Simultaneous EEG and fMRI recordings (EEG-fMRI) in children with epilepsy.
abstract: By combining electroencephalography (EEG) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) it is possible to describe blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes related to EEG patterns. This way, EEG-pattern-associated networks of hemodynamic changes can be detected anywhere in the brain with good spatial resolution. This review summarizes EEG-fMRI studies that have been performed in children with epilepsy. EEG-fMRI studies in focal epilepsy (structural and nonlesional cases, benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes), generalized epilepsy (especially absence epilepsy), and epileptic encephalopathies (West syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, continuous spike and waves during slow sleep, and Dravet syndrome) are presented. Although EEG-fMRI was applied mainly to localize the region presumably generating focal interictal discharges in focal epilepsies, EEG-fMRI identified underlying networks in patients with generalized epilepsies and thereby contributed to a better understanding of these epilepsies. In epileptic encephalopathies a specific fingerprint of hemodynamic changes associated with the particular syndrome was detected. The value of the EEG-fMRI technique for diagnosis and investigation of pathogenetic mechanisms of different forms of epilepsy is discussed.
authors: Department of Neuropediatrics, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany. f.moeller@pedneuro.uni-kiel.de
authors: Friederike
authors: F
authors: Moeller
authors: Ulrich
authors: U
authors: Stephani
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Siniatchkin
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000503:physiopathology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000503:physiopathology; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D013036:Spasms, Infantile / Q000503:physiopathology