1
|
Hamid C, Maiworm M, Wagner M, Knake S, Nöth U, Deichmann R, Gracien RM, Seiler A. Focal epilepsy without overt epileptogenic lesions: no evidence of microstructural brain tissue damage in multi-parametric quantitative MRI. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1175971. [PMID: 37528856 PMCID: PMC10389268 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1175971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose In patients with epilepsies of structural origin, brain atrophy and pathological alterations of the tissue microstructure extending beyond the putative epileptogenic lesion have been reported. However, in patients without any evidence of epileptogenic lesions on diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), impairment of the brain microstructure has been scarcely elucidated. Using multiparametric quantitative (q) magnetic resonance imaging MRI, we aimed to investigate diffuse impairment of the microstructural tissue integrity in MRI-negative focal epilepsy patients. Methods 27 MRI-negative patients with focal epilepsy (mean age 33.1 ± 14.2 years) and 27 matched healthy control subjects underwent multiparametric qMRI including T1, T2, and PD mapping at 3 T. After tissue segmentation based on synthetic anatomies, mean qMRI parameter values were extracted from the cerebral cortex, the white matter (WM) and the deep gray matter (GM) and compared between patients and control subjects. Apart from calculating mean values for the qMRI parameters across the respective compartments, voxel-wise analyses were performed for each tissue class. Results There were no significant differences for mean values of quantitative T1, T2, and PD obtained from the cortex, the WM and the deep GM between the groups. Furthermore, the voxel-wise analyses did not reveal any clusters indicating significant differences between patients and control subjects for the qMRI parameters in the respective compartments. Conclusions Based on the employed methodology, no indication for an impairment of the cerebral microstructural tissue integrity in MRI-negative patients with focal epilepsy was found in this study. Further research will be necessary to identify relevant factors and mechanisms contributing to microstructural brain tissue damage in various subgroups of patients with epilepsy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Celona Hamid
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER) Consortium, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Michelle Maiworm
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Marlies Wagner
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER) Consortium, Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute of Neuroradiology, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Susanne Knake
- Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER) Consortium, Frankfurt, Germany
- Epilepsy Center Hessen and Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Nöth
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER) Consortium, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ralf Deichmann
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER) Consortium, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - René-Maxime Gracien
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CePTER) Consortium, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Alexander Seiler
- Department of Neurology, Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany
- Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| |
Collapse
|