title: Weighted and directed interactions in evolving large-scale epileptic brain networks.
abstract: Epilepsy can be regarded as a network phenomenon with functionally and/or structurally aberrant connections in the brain. Over the past years, concepts and methods from network theory substantially contributed to improve the characterization of structure and function of these epileptic networks and thus to advance understanding of the dynamical disease epilepsy. We extend this promising line of research and assess-with high spatial and temporal resolution and using complementary analysis approaches that capture different characteristics of the complex dynamics-both strength and direction of interactions in evolving large-scale epileptic brain networks of 35 patients that suffered from drug-resistant focal seizures with different anatomical onset locations. Despite this heterogeneity, we find that even during the seizure-free interval the seizure onset zone is a brain region that, when averaged over time, exerts strongest directed influences over other brain regions being part of a large-scale network. This crucial role, however, manifested by averaging on the population-sample level only - in more than one third of patients, strongest directed interactions can be observed between brain regions far off the seizure onset zone. This may guide new developments for individualized diagnosis, treatment and control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.|Helmholtz-Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics, University of Bonn, Nussallee 14-16, 53115 Bonn, Germany.|Interdisciplinary Center for Complex Systems, University of Bonn, Brühler Straße 7, 53175 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dickten
authors.affiliation: Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.|Helmholtz-Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics, University of Bonn, Nussallee 14-16, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Porz
authors.affiliation: Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Elger
authors.affiliation: Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany.|Helmholtz-Institute for Radiation and Nuclear Physics, University of Bonn, Nussallee 14-16, 53115 Bonn, Germany.|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; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000069279:Drug Resistant Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057285:Precision Medicine; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D055815:Young Adult