Abstracts

Rationale: The similar ending presentation of general convulsion evolving from different seizure focus of individuals indicates the recruitment of motor-related cortices and corticospinal pathway by wild spread propagation of epileptic activity. Therefore, the motor pathway should play an important role in secondary generalization of focal seizures. The aims of this study are to explore whether functional connectivity changes in motor pathway of patients with generalized convulsion involving different seizure foci.Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) data were obtained from 16 patients with focal neocortical seizures and 16 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. All patients had normal structural MRIs and were categorized into benign epilepsy for receiving monotherapy and limited numbers of generalized convulsions. We used independent component analysis method identify sensorimotor resting-state network (RSN) and used seed-based approach to depict the resting state functional connectivity of pre- and post- central gyri. The altered functional connectivity pattern in epileptic patients was evaluated in comparison to normal subjects.Results: Compared with the healthy subjects, decreased functional connectivity was observed in sensorimotor RSN. Further seed-based analysis demonstrated increased connectivity between pre- and post- central gyrus regions and right anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri, right superior frontal gyrus, left precuneus regions of the brain. While decreased connectivity was showed between pre- and post- central gyrus regions and right postcentral gyrus.Conclusions: Even our patients have rare generalized seizure, their sensorimotor-default mode network still has certain degrees of anomaly. The results of this study may offer new insight into the neuropathophysiological mechanisms of seizure evolving into a generalized convulsion lized convulsions.