title: Structural abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate cortical thickness and gray matter volume abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS). We additionally assessed the effects of comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) on these abnormalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surface and volumetric MR imaging data of children with newly diagnosed BCECTS (n = 20, 14 males) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 20) were analyzed using FreeSurfer (version 5.3.0, https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu). An additional comparison was performed between BCECTS children with and without ADHD (each, n = 8). A group comparison was carried out using an analysis of covariance with a value of significance set as p < 0.01 or p < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with BCECTS had significantly thicker right superior frontal, superior temporal, middle temporal, and left pars triangularis cortices. Voxel-based morphometric analysis revealed significantly larger cortical gray matter volumes of the right precuneus, left orbitofrontal, pars orbitalis, precentral gyri, and bilateral putamen and the amygdala of children with BCECTS compared to healthy controls. BCECTS patients with ADHD had significantly thicker left caudal anterior and posterior cingulate gyri and a significantly larger left pars opercularis gyral volume compared to BCECTS patients without ADHD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with BCECTS have thicker or larger gray matters in the corticostriatal circuitry at the onset of epilepsy. Comorbid ADHD is also associated with structural aberrations. These findings suggest structural disruptions of the brain network are associated with specific developmental electro-clinical syndromes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yum
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-Hyun
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kangwon National University Hospital, Kangwon National University, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yun-Jeong
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: tsko@amc.seoul.kr.
authors.forename: Tae-Sung
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Ko
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019305:Epilepsy, Rolandic / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
keywords: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes; Brain development; Brain volumetry; Cortical thickness; MRI