Structural abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS)

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate cortical thickness and gray matter volume abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS). We additionally assessed the effects of comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) on these abnormalities.

Methods: Surface and volumetric MR imaging data of children with newly diagnosed BCECTS (n = 20, 14 males) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 20) were analyzed using FreeSurfer (version 5.3.0, https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu). An additional comparison was performed between BCECTS children with and without ADHD (each, n = 8). A group comparison was carried out using an analysis of covariance with a value of significance set as p < 0.01 or p < 0.05.

Results: Children with BCECTS had significantly thicker right superior frontal, superior temporal, middle temporal, and left pars triangularis cortices. Voxel-based morphometric analysis revealed significantly larger cortical gray matter volumes of the right precuneus, left orbitofrontal, pars orbitalis, precentral gyri, and bilateral putamen and the amygdala of children with BCECTS compared to healthy controls. BCECTS patients with ADHD had significantly thicker left caudal anterior and posterior cingulate gyri and a significantly larger left pars opercularis gyral volume compared to BCECTS patients without ADHD.

Conclusion: Children with BCECTS have thicker or larger gray matters in the corticostriatal circuitry at the onset of epilepsy. Comorbid ADHD is also associated with structural aberrations. These findings suggest structural disruptions of the brain network are associated with specific developmental electro-clinical syndromes.

Keywords: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes; Brain development; Brain volumetry; Cortical thickness; MRI.