title: Local Activity and Causal Connectivity in Children with Benign Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes.
abstract: The aim of the current study was to localize the epileptic focus and characterize its causal relation with other brain regions, to understand the cognitive deficits in children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in 37 children with BECTS and 25 children matched for age, sex and educational achievement. We identified the potential epileptogenic zone (EZ) by comparing the amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of spontaneous blood oxygenation level dependent fMRI signals between the groups. Granger causality analysis was applied to explore the causal effect between EZ and the whole brain. Compared with controls, children with BECTS had significantly increased ALFF in the right postcentral gyrus and bilateral calcarine, and decreased ALFF in the left anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral putaman/caudate, and left cerebellum. ALFF values in the putaman/caudate were positively correlated with verbal IQ scores in patients. The ALFF values in cerebellum and performance IQ scores were negatively correlated in patients. These results suggest that ALFF disturbances in the putaman/caudate and cerebellum play an important role in BECTS cognitive dysfunction. Compared with controls, the patients showed increased driving effect from the EZ to the right medial frontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex and decreased causal effects from the EZ to left inferior frontal gyrus. The causal effect of the left inferior frontal gyrus negatively correlated with disease duration, which suggests a relation between the epileptiform activity and language impairment. All together, these findings provide additional insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms of epilepitogenisis and cognitive dysfunction associated with BECTS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Department of Medical Psychology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders and the Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Gong-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders and the Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zang
authors.affiliation: Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders and the Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: fMRI Center, The 306 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: fMRI Center, The 306 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: fMRI Center, The 306 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: fMRI Center, The 306 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests