Connectomics and epilepsy

Abstract

Purpose of review Tremendous advances have occurred in recent years in elucidating basic mechanisms of epilepsy at the level of ion channels and neurotransmitters. Epilepsy, however, is ultimately a disease of functionally and/or structurally aberrant connections between neurons and groups of neurons at the systems level. Recent advances in neuroimaging and electrophysiology now make it possible to investigate structural and functional connectivity of the entire brain, and these techniques are currently being used to investigate diseases that manifest as global disturbances of brain function. Epilepsy is such a disease, and our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of epilepsy and the generation of epileptic seizures will undoubtedly benefit from research utilizing these connectomic approaches. Recent findings MRI using diffusion tensor imaging provides structural information, whereas functional MRI and electroencephalography provide functional information about connectivity at the whole brain level. Optogenetics, tracers, electrophysiological approaches, and calcium imaging provide connectivity information at the level of local circuits. These approaches are revealing important neuronal network disturbances underlying epileptic abnormalities. Summary An understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying the development of epilepsy and the generation of epileptic seizures will require delineation of the aberrant functional and structural connections of the whole brain. The field of connectomics now provides approaches to accomplish this.

Searching for the Ideal Antiepileptogenic Agent in Experimental Models: Single Treatment Versus Combinatorial Treatment Strategies

“…Most epilepsies develop not from alterations of a single target, but rather from complex alterations that result in an epileptic network in the brain [3,45,46]. The only existing cure of epilepsy in many patients is resective surgery in which the regional epileptic network, or part of this network, is removed [47].…”

Third International Congress on Epilepsy, Brain, and Mind: Part 2

“…Vladmir Komárek, M. Kynčl, J. Šanda, M. Vránová, R. Vydrová-Recent research showed the importance of language-associated pathways during brain development as well as in the presurgical assessment of children with refractory epilepsy, namely with epileptogenic zone in language-related regions [153][154][155][156]. Currently, language studies agree on the concept of two interacting pathways connecting the language-relevant regions in the temporal and the frontal cortices.…”

Neuroimaging the Epileptogenic Process

“…In post-SE rat models of TLE an acute increase in ADC, beginning as early as 3 mins post-SE [39], has been reported [17,40]. However, this is a dynamic and structurallydependent response, with reports of acute decreases in ADC post-SE [17,[39][40][41][42], a return to baseline by 1 week, and increased ADC at chronic time-points [39].…”

“…However, this is a dynamic and structurallydependent response, with reports of acute decreases in ADC post-SE [17,[39][40][41][42], a return to baseline by 1 week, and increased ADC at chronic time-points [39]. ADC increases may be related to vasogenic edema or increased metabolic activity [17,39,43,44], whereas the acute ADC decreases are associated with cytotoxic edema and neuronal loss [39,43,44].…”