Evaluation of individual patterns of functional and structural neural networks in patients with focal epilepsy

• Grant number: 16/10812-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2017
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Ana Carolina Coan
• Grantee: Rebeca Maria Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Hospital de Clínicas (HC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07559-3 - BRAINN - The Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Epilepsies are disorders of functionally and anatomically connected neural networks, which can be associated with the variability of ictal phenomena, interictal behavior and prognosis. So far, studies of abnormalities of neural networks in epilepsies were based on the analysis of groups of patients. However, it is known that there is significant inter individual variation in the clinical characteristics of epilepsies. The aim of this study is to evaluate individual patterns of functional and structural network abnormalities in patients with focal epilepsies and to associate these results with clinical characteristics. We will select adult patients with focal epilepsies with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and concomitant electroencephalogram and functional MRI (EEG-fMRI) exams. The evaluation of the patterns of structural brain changes will be performed by voxel based morphometry technique with the use of an algorithm for individual analysis. Structural MR images of healthy subjects will be used as control. For the analysis of functional networks, maps of hemodynamic changes related to interictal epileptic discharges will be obtained from the EEG-fMRI exams. We will evaluate the correlation between structural and functional abnormalities through the co-registration of the maps of these networks for each patient. Finally, individual maps of structural and functional abnormalities will be compared with the clinical data. As a result, we expect to observe that in patients with focal epilepsies, structural and functional alterations of brain networks are distinct and that individual variability of these networks may be associated with different clinical parameters. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

GONÇALVES, Rebeca Maria. Evaluations of individual patterns of functional and structural neural networks in patients with focal epilepsies. 2019. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Ciências Médicas Campinas, SP.