Normative structural connectome constrains spreading transient brain activity in generalized epilepsy

作者：Jie Xia, Siqi Yang, Jiao Li, Yao Meng, Jinpeng Niu, Huafu Chen, Zhiqiang Zhang, Wei Liao · 发表于：BMC Medicine · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12916-025-04099-7 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Functional Brain Connectivity Studies、Epilepsy research and treatment、Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications

BACKGROUND: Genetic generalized epilepsy is characterized by transient episodes of spontaneous abnormal neural activity in anatomically distributed brain regions that ultimately propagate to wider areas. However, the connectome-based mechanisms shaping these abnormalities remain largely unknown. We aimed to investigate how the normative structural connectome constrains abnormal brain activity spread in genetic generalized epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GGE-GTCS). METHODS: Abnormal transient activity patterns between individuals with GGE-GTCS (n = 97) and healthy controls (n = 141) were estimated from the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations measured by resting-state functional MRI. The normative structural connectome was derived from diffusion-weighted images acquired in an independent cohort of healthy adults (n = 326). Structural neighborhood analysis was applied to assess the degree of constraints between activity vulnerability and structural connectome. Dominance analysis was used to determine the potential molecular underpinnings of these constraints. Furthermore, a network-based diffusion model was utilized to simulate the spread of pathology and identify potential disease epicenters. RESULTS: Brain activity abnormalities among patients with GGE-GTCS were primarily located in the temporal, cingulate, prefrontal, and parietal cortices. The collective abnormality of structurally connected neighbors significantly predicted regional activity abnormality,...