Altered thalamic connectivity patterns in pediatric temporal lobe epilepsy: A gradient mapping study.

Objective: The thalamus participates in seizure propagation and is a target for neuromodulation in epilepsy. Although thalamic connectivity changes have been reported in adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), pediatric TLE is distinct, characterized by greater etiological diversity and impact on brain maturation. This study applied a novel gradient mapping technique to investigate whole-brain thalamic connectivity patterns in children with TLE.

Predictors of atypical language lateralization in focal epilepsy: A mega-analysis of fMRI evidence.

Objective: To identify predictors of language lateralization derived from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in children and adults with left- and right-sided focal epilepsy.

Methods: We conducted a mega-analysis of data from 914 individuals from 24 samples. We used multilevel models to identify predictors of language lateralization in left and right hemisphere epilepsy groups.

Is an earlier onset of focal epilepsy associated with atypical language lateralization? A systematic review, meta-analysis and new data.

Right and bilateral language representation is common in focal epilepsy, possibly reflecting the influence of epileptogenic lesions and/or seizure activity in the left hemisphere. Atypical language lateralization is assumed to be more likely in cases of early seizure onset, due to greater language plasticity in childhood. However, evidence for this association is mixed, with most research based on small samples and heterogenous cohorts.

Mapping Cognition in Epilepsy: From the Lab to the Clinic.

In this article, we provide an overview of our panel presentation at the American Epilepsy Society meeting in December2023. Our presentation reviewed functional mapping methods for epilepsy surgery including well-established and newer methods, focusing mostly on language and memory. Dr Leigh Sepeta (Chair) and Dr Jana Jones (Chair) organized the presentation, which included 5 presenters.

Long-term neuropsychological trajectories in children with epilepsy: does surgery halt decline?

Neuropsychological impairments are common in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. It has been proposed that epilepsy surgery might alleviate these impairments by providing seizure freedom; however, findings from prior studies have been inconsistent. We mapped long-term neuropsychological trajectories in children before and after undergoing epilepsy surgery, to measure the impact of disease course and surgery on functioning.

Functional brain connectivity in children with focal epilepsy: A systematic review of functional MRI studies.

Epilepsy is increasingly recognised as a brain network disorder and many studies have investigated functional connectivity (FC) in children with epilepsy using functional MRI (fMRI). This systematic review of fMRI studies, published up to November 2023, investigated profiles of FC changes and their clinical relevance in children with focal epilepsy compared to healthy controls. A literature search in PubMed and Web of Science yielded 62 articles.

Gender differences in interoceptive accuracy and emotional ability: An explanation for incompatible findings.

Most theories of emotion describe a crucial role for interoceptive accuracy, the perception of the body's internal physiological signals, in emotional experience. Despite support for interoceptive accuracy's role in emotion, findings of gender differences in emotional and interoceptive processing are incompatible with theory; women typically show poorer interoceptive accuracy, but women often outperform men on measures of emotional processing and recognition. This suggests a need to re-evaluate the relationship between interoceptive accuracy and emotion considering sex and gender.

Sex differences in interoceptive accuracy: A meta-analysis.

Interoceptive accuracy, the ability to correctly perceive internal signals arising from the body, is thought to be disrupted in numerous mental and physical health conditions. Whilst evidence suggests poorer interoceptive accuracy in females compared to males, raising the possibility that interoceptive differences may relate to sex differences in mental and physical health, results concerning sex differences in interoceptive accuracy are mixed. Given such ambiguity, this meta-analysis aimed to establish the presence or absence of sex differences in interoceptive accuracy across cardiac, respiratory, and gastric domains.