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. 2024 Jan;30(1):e14414.
doi: 10.1111/cns.14414. Epub 2023 Aug 25.

Abnormal white matter structural network topological property in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Haiming Ai  1 , Chunlan Yang  2 , Min Lu  2 , Jiechuan Ren  3 , Zhimei Li  3 , Yining Zhang  4
Affiliations

Abnormal white matter structural network topological property in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Haiming Ai et al. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have demonstrated white matter (WM) abnormalities in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). However, alterations in the topological properties of the WM structural network in patients with TLE remain unclear. Graph theoretical analysis provides a new perspective for evaluating the connectivity of WM structural networks.

Methods: DTI was used to map the structural networks of 18 patients with TLE (10 males and 8 females) and 29 (17 males and 12 females) age- and gender-matched normal controls (NC). Graph theory was used to analyze the whole-brain networks and their topological properties between the two groups. Finally, partial correlation analyses were performed on the weighted network properties and clinical characteristics, namely, duration of epilepsy, verbal intelligence quotient (IQ), and performance IQ.

Results: Patients with TLE exhibited reduced global efficiency and increased characteristic path length. A total of 31 regions with nodal efficiency alterations were detected in the fractional anisotropy_ weighted network of the patients. Communication hubs, such as the middle temporal gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, left calcarine, and right superior parietal gyrus, were also differently distributed in the patients compared with the NC. Several node regions showed close relationships with duration of epilepsy, verbal IQ, and performance IQ.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the disruption of the WM structural network in TLE patients. This study may contribute to the further understanding of the pathological mechanism of TLE.

Keywords: diffusion tensor imaging; graph theory analysis; structural network; temporal lobe epilepsy; white matter.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Histogram of the statistical differences in the network topological properties. *p < 0.05, FDR corrected. Abbreviations: FA, fractional anisotropy; NC, normal controls; TLE, temporal lobe epilepsy.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Hub regions detected in groups of TLE and NC. Hubs were illustrated as red circles in the TLE and NC groups. Abbreviations: NC, normal controls; TLE, temporal lobe epilepsy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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