title: Statistical parametric mapping for analyzing interictal magnetoencephalography in patients with left frontal lobe epilepsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Frontal lobe epilepsy is a common epileptic disorder and is characterized by recurring seizures that arise in the frontal lobes. The purpose of this study is to identify the epileptogenic regions and other abnormal regions in patients with left frontal lobe epilepsy (LFLE) based on the magnetoencephalogram (MEG), and to understand the effects of clinical variables on brain activities in patients with LFLE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen patients with LFLE (23.20 ± 8.68 years, 6 female and 9 male) and 16 healthy controls (23.13 ± 7.66 years, 6 female and 10 male) were included in resting-stage MEG examinations. Epileptogenic regions of LFLE patients were confirmed by surgery. Regional brain activations were quantified using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). The correlation between the activations of the abnormal brain regions and the clinical seizure parameters were computed for LFLE patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Brain activations of LFLE patients were significantly elevated in left superior/middle/inferior frontal gyri, postcentral gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, insula, parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala, including the epileptogenic regions. Remarkable decreased activations were found mainly in the left parietal gyrus and precuneus. There is a positive correlation between the duration of the epilepsy (in month) and activations of the abnormal regions, while no relation was found between age of seizure onset (year), seizure frequency and the regions of the abnormal activity of the epileptic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the aberrant brain activities of LFLE patients were not restricted to the epileptogenic zones. Long duration of epilepsy might induce further functional damage in patients with LFLE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Jinlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Forrest Sheng
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Hongyi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xuchuang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: MEG Center, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: MEG Center, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Yuanjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Nanjing Brain Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: neurosurgeonzr@njmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu, China; College of Civil Aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: zg431193@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D017034:Epilepsy, Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Epileptogenic regions; Left frontal lobe epilepsy; Magnetoencephalography; Statistical parametric mapping