The Voxel-based Morphometry Research Of Gray Matter And White Matter In Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Object Using voxel-based morphometry, we examined the volume of gray matter and white matter in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in order to investigate the abnormality of brain internal structure and its mechanism.Methods22patients with temporal lobe epilepsy confirmed by surgery pathology and15gender and age matched healthy controls were underwent3.0T MRI scan with heads in12channel array coil and collected three-dimensional magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE) datasets of the whole brain. There were11patients in the left temporal lobe epilepsy group and also11patients in the right temporal lobe epilepsy group. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was employed to analyse the different volume of gray matter and white matter between controls and patients.Result1. Compared with healthy controls, patients with left TLE showed significantly decreased the volume of gray matter in right cerebellum anterior lobe、 left middle temporal gryus、left inferior temporal gyrus、left middle occipital gyrus、 left inferior frontal gyrus、right inferior frontal gyrus、right middle temporal gyrus、 left hippocampus、left superior frontal gyrus, right caudate lobe, right middle frontal gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, right precentral gyrus. The differences were significant2. Compared with healthy controls, patients with left TLE showed significantly decreased the volume of white matter in left parahippocampal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus、left superior frontal gyrus、left thalamus,、right insula、left inferior parietal lobe、the left superior parietal lobe. The differences were significant.3. Compared with healthy controls, patients with right TLE showed significantly decreased the volume of gray matter in right inferior temporal gyrus、right middle temporal gyrus、left lingual gyrus、left inferior occipital gyrus、left inferior temporal gyrus,、left parahippocampal gyrus,、right thalamus、left occipital gyrus、 left middle temporal gyrus、right superior frontal gyrus、left precentral gyrus、left postcentral gyrus、right precentral gyrus. The differences were significant.4. Compared with healthy controls, patients with right TLE showed significantly decreased the volume of white matter in right inferior temporal gyrus、the left lingual gyrus、left middle occipital gyrus、right superior frontal gyrus、left precentral gyrus、 left superior temporal gyrus、right precuneus、right postcentral gyrus、left inferior parietal lobe. The differences were significant.Conclusion1. VBM as a new technology of measuring whole brain structure, can detect multiple abnormal brain regions in epilepsy patients which are negative in conventional MR, suggesting that the specific network may be existent.2. In temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), abnormalities of gray and white matter were not just seen in the temporal lobe, but also seen in other lobes, suggesting that the epileptiform discharges spread in the whole brain range, causing diffuse brain damage.3. The gray matter and white matter volume reduction were found in multiple brain regions of TLE. The area of both gray matter and white matter volume reduction had partial overlap, suggesting that the gray matter and white matter structural damage in TLE are not independent, there may be some internal relations. There need to be further research.