Regional cortical thickness changes accompanying generalized tonic-clonic seizures

Publication date: Available online 18 July 2018Source: NeuroImage: ClinicalAuthor(s): Jennifer A. Ogren, Raghav Tripathi, Paul M. Macey, Rajesh Kumar, John M. Stern, Dawn S. Eliashiv, Luke A. Allen, Beate Diehl, Jerome Engel, M.R. Sandhya Rani, Samden D. Lhatoo, Ronald M. HarperAbstractObjectiveGeneralized tonic-clonic seizures are accompanied by cardiovascular and respiratory sequelae that threaten survival. The frequency of these seizures is a major risk factor for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), a leading cause of untimely death in epilepsy. The circumstances accompanying such fatal events suggest a cardiovascular or respiratory failure induced by unknown neural processes rather than an inherent cardiac or lung deficiency. Certain cortical regions, especially the insular, cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortices, are key structures that integrate sensory input and influence diencephalic and brainstem regions regulating blood pressure, cardiac rhythm, and respiration; output from those cortical regions compromised by epilepsy-associated injury may lead to cardiorespiratory dysregulation. The aim here was to assess changes in cortical integrity, reflected as cortical thickness, relative to healthy controls. Cortical alterations in areas that influence cardiorespiratory action could contribute to SUDEP mechanisms.MethodsHigh-resolution T1-weighted images were collected with a 3.0-Tesla MRI scanner from 53 patients with generalized tonic-clonic seizures (Mean age Â...
Source: NeuroImage: Clinical - Category: Radiology Source Type: research