title: Which Brain Regions are Important for Seizure Dynamics in Epileptic Networks? Influence of Link Identification and EEG Recording Montage on Node Centralities.
abstract: Nodes in large-scale epileptic networks that are crucial for seizure facilitation and termination can be regarded as potential targets for individualized focal therapies. Graph-theoretical approaches based on centrality concepts can help to identify such important nodes, however, they may be influenced by the way networks are derived from empirical data. Here we investigate evolving functional epileptic brain networks during 82 focal seizures with different anatomical onset locations that we derive from multichannel intracranial electroencephalographic recordings from 51 patients. We demonstrate how the various methodological steps (from the recording montage via node and link inference to the assessment of node centralities) affect importance estimation and discuss their impact on the interpretability of findings in the context of pathophysiological aspects of seizure dynamics.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.|2 Helmholtz Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics, University of Bonn, Nussallee 14-16, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geier
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.|2 Helmholtz Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics, University of Bonn, Nussallee 14-16, 53115 Bonn, Germany.|3 Interdisciplinary Center for Complex Systems, University of Bonn, Brühler Straße 7, 53175 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lehnertz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D000069279:Drug Resistant Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000069280:Electrocorticography / Q000379:methods*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EEG; Epileptic network; centrality; interdependency; time series analysis