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A recent study, conducted by Esther Boot and her colleagues and led by Anil Tuladhar, provides insights into post-stroke epilepsy in young adults. Published in Brain Communications, their research explores functional brain connectivity in individuals aged 18 to 50 who have experienced post-stroke epilepsy.
Post-stroke epilepsy, affecting approximately one in ten young stroke patients, poses challenges beyond seizures, including cognitive impairment. To unravel the underlying mechanisms, researchers examined functional brain network changes in young adults who had suffered ischemic stroke and later developed post-stroke epilepsy.
Using neuropsychological tests and resting-state functional MRI, they studied 164 participants with first-ever cerebral ischemic stroke of whom 23 participants developed post-stroke epilepsy, comparing them to 77 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.
The results of this study revealed significant alterations in the functional brain networks of participants with post-stroke epilepsy compared to those without post-stroke epilepsy and the control group. The brain networks in post-stroke epilepsy participants exhibited characteristics of being weaker, less integrated, and less segregated, leading to a less efficient functional brain network.
Notably, a declining trend in brain network measures was observed in specific brain regions within the "healthy" (contralesional and unaffected) hemisphere. These regions, often regarded as pivotal hubs, may play a role in the observed cognitive deficits seen in individuals with post-stroke epilepsy. Particularly striking was the higher frequency of processing speed deficits in post-stroke epilepsy participants, underscoring the conceivable clinical relevance of these network changes.
These findings illuminate the potential involvement of disrupted functional brain networks as an underlying pathophysiological mechanism contributing to cognitive impairments in individuals with post-stroke epilepsy. Furthermore, this research showed that changes in the functional brain network may have the potential to identify patients at risk of post-stroke epilepsy and cognitive impairment, thereby offering significant utility in more personalized decision-making.
This study advances our understanding the impact of post-stroke epilepsy on brain function, aiming to pave the way for personalized care and treatment approaches.
Read the study here
Esther M Boot, Quinty P M Omes, Noortje Maaijwee, Pauline Schaapsmeerders, Renate M Arntz, Loes C A Rutten-Jacobs, Roy P C Kessels, Frank-Erik de Leeuw, Anil M Tuladhar, Functional brain connectivity in young adults with post-stroke epilepsy, Brain Communications, Volume 5, Issue 6, 2023, fcad277, https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcad277
