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Review
. 2023 Dec 28;14(1):31.
doi: 10.3390/brainsci14010031.

Epilepsy Networks and Their Surgical Relevance

Kevin Hines  1 , Chengyuan Wu  1
Affiliations
Review

Epilepsy Networks and Their Surgical Relevance

Kevin Hines et al. Brain Sci. .

Abstract

Surgical epilepsy is a rapidly evolved field. As the understanding and concepts of epilepsy shift towards a network disorder, surgical outcomes may shed light on numerous components of these systems. This review documents the evolution of the understanding of epilepsy networks and examines the data generated by resective, ablative, neuromodulation, and invasive monitoring surgeries in epilepsy patients. As these network tools are better integrated into epilepsy practice, they may eventually inform surgical decisions and improve clinical outcomes.

Keywords: ablation; epilepsy; invasive monitoring; network; neuromodulation; resection; sEEG.

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Conflict of interest statement

Kevin Hines has no conflict of interest to report. Chengyuan Wu reports being a consultant to Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott, Nevro, Brainlab, NeuroOne, and Neuropace, and being on the advisory board of Zeta Surgical.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diffusion-based MRI imaging allows for visualization of white matter structure and here shows the visual pathway. These types of studies may provide information on structural connectivity between areas of interest to help define connections or epileptogenic tissue or even normal tissue to preserve during resection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences in resting state functional MRI may show how epilepsy modulates established networks and which networks are involved in seizure propagation or generation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Stereo-electroencephalography interrogation of a patient with bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy. The recording demonstrates bilateral hippocampal spikes implying an epilepsy network involving both these regions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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