Voxel-based Morphology Study Of IGE Patients With Typical Absence Seizure

BackgroundIdiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE) was a collective term of various epilepsy syndromes. IGE with typical absence seizure was a special type of epilepsy because of the sudden onset and end of its impaired consciousness. It was characterized by abrupt stop of the ongoing movement, unresponsiveness to others’ call, lasting for a few seconds to tens of seconds. After that, patients could continue the ongoing action before seizure. Outstanding characteristic of electroencephalogram (EEG) showed the bilateral symmetric synchronization3Hz SWDs. Voxel-based morphometry(VBM) is a common kind of structural analysis of magnetic resonance and could detect the subtle brain structural changes.However, what are the characteristics of brain tissue changes in IGE with typical absence seizure? There has been no definite answer to this issue.ObjectiveTo observe the characteristics of brain gray matter volume changes in IGE patients with typical absence seizure.MethodSelected9IGE patients with typical absence seizure,16age and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Then the whole brain structures of them were scanned using a3.0T magnetic resonance. Furthermore, their brain gray matter volume was analyzed through VBM method and the characteristics of abnormal gray matter volume were observed.ResultCompared with the normal control group, cerebral gray matter volume extensiv ely decreased in IGE patients with typical absence seizure. The13regions with sig nificant differences were as follows:Right rectal gyrus, Left rectal gyrus, Right Cal carine/Cuneus/gyrus lingualis/occipital gyrus/inferior occipital gyrus, Left gyrus1ingualis/inferior occipital gyrus/, Left Middle Temporal Gyrus/superior temporal g yrus, Left Inferior Occipital Gyrus/gyrus lingualis, Right gyrus lingualis, Left Midd le Occipital Gyrus, Right Middle Occipital Gyrus/Superior Occipital Gyrus/middle temporal gyrus, Right Precuneus/Cuneus,Right superior parietal lobule, Right prece ntral gyrus, Right Superior Frontal Gyrus/paracentral lobule/supplementary motor a rea. However, gray matter volume increase has not been found.ConclusionCerebral gray matter volume extensively decreased in13brain regions of IGE patients with typical absence seizure, among that occipital lobe was the most significant.