Epilepsy is a complex neurological disease that affects around 50 million people worldwide. For about two thirds of the patients, the symptoms can be controlled using antiepileptic drugs. However, for the remaining one third, which have a drug-resistant form of epilepsy, the surgical resection of the region responsible for the production and propagation of seizures ( the Epileptogenic Zone, EZ) may be the only one way to suppress or reduce seizures. The present thesis aims to investigate the mechanisms implied to the generation and propagation of the epileptic seizures in order to identify a repeatable connectivity pattern for each patient. By a multivariate connectivity analysis based on PDC index, a specific-patient network, composed by electrode contact both internal and external to the lesion, is obtained and represents the main pathway involved in the seizure propagation, highlighting the role of the principal nodes inside and outside the EZ.
L’epilessia è una malattia neurologica complessa che colpisce circa 50 milioni di persone in tutto il mondo. Per circa due terzi dei pazienti, i sintomi possono essere controllati attraverso l’uso di farmaci antiepilettici. Tuttavia, per un terzo dei pazienti, i quali hanno una forma di epilessia farmacoresistente, la resezione chirurgica della regione responsabile della produzione e propagazione delle crisi (Zona Epilettogena) può essere l’unico modo per eliminare o ridurre i sintomi. Il presente lavoro di tesi si propone di indagare i meccanismi sottesi alla generazione e alla diffusione delle crisi epilettiche, in modo da individuare un pattern ripetibile di connettività specifico per ogni paziente. Dall’analisi di connettività multivariate, basata sul indice PDC, si identifica per ogni paziente una network costituita dai contatti degli elettrodi interni ed esterni alla lesione che mostra il principale percorso coinvolto nella propagazione della crisi, evidenziando il ruolo dei nodi principali dentro e fuori la EZ.
Patient-specific connectivity patterns of epileptic networks in focal cortical dysplasia (Type II)
MASLLAVICA, FRANKO
2015/2016
Abstract
Epilepsy is a complex neurological disease that affects around 50 million people worldwide. For about two thirds of the patients, the symptoms can be controlled using antiepileptic drugs. However, for the remaining one third, which have a drug-resistant form of epilepsy, the surgical resection of the region responsible for the production and propagation of seizures ( the Epileptogenic Zone, EZ) may be the only one way to suppress or reduce seizures. The present thesis aims to investigate the mechanisms implied to the generation and propagation of the epileptic seizures in order to identify a repeatable connectivity pattern for each patient. By a multivariate connectivity analysis based on PDC index, a specific-patient network, composed by electrode contact both internal and external to the lesion, is obtained and represents the main pathway involved in the seizure propagation, highlighting the role of the principal nodes inside and outside the EZ.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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2016_12_Masllavica.pdf
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Descrizione: Patient-specific connectivity patterns of epileptic networks in Focal Cortical Dysplasia (Type II)
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/131678