Single-patient analysis of quantitative T1 values at 7T reveals global abnormalities in epilepsy

Abstract

Motivation: While widespread structural changes in epilepsy have been previously reported, the global secondary effects on the brain are yet to be fully understood. Goal(s): To investigate the presence of global abnormalities in quantitative T1 values in drug-resistant epilepsy at a single-patient level. Approach: Seventy-eight epilepsy patients were studied using 7T MRI, and a previously established quantitative T1 brain atlas of healthy subjects was used to calculate T1 deviations in patients. Results: Frontal and temporal gray matter exhibited the largest T1 alterations, with significant correlations observed between T1 deviations and the patients’ disease duration. These findings suggest widespread microstructural disruptions in epilepsy patients. Impact: The observed quantitative T1 changes reveal widespread microstructural disturbances in epilepsy patients that extend beyond the seizure onset zone. The proposed method may allow early diagnosis of previously undetectable microstructural abnormalities along brain areas involved into seizure formation and propagation.