Grant: Operating Grant

Epilepsy affects about 1% of the general population. In up to 30% of patients, seizures cannot be controlled despite the best possible medication. The most common form of drug-resistant seizures is a focal type of epilepsy with seizures originating from a region of the brain called the temporal lobe. A lesion in the temporal lobe is often responsible for the seizures; its surgical removal can greatly attenuate or completely stop epileptic attacks. However, the post-surgical outcome remains poor in about 40% of patients. Although in temporal lobe epilepsy, seizures originate within a confined region of the brain, increasing evidence indicates that the brain is abnormally organized in several interconnected regions distant from the temporal lobes. The aim of this project is to understand how various brain regions interact with each other in epilepsy. We will use new state-of-the-art MRI analysis techniques that provide measures of structural and functional brain connectivity. These biomarkers will help clinicians to identify more accurately patients who will benefit from surgery.