Structural Graph Analysis of Left and Right Temporal Lobe Epilepsy using Diffusion Spectrum Imaging

Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) suffer from widespread subtle white matter abnormalities and abnormal functional connectivity extending beyond the affected lobe, as revealed by volumetric and functional MRI studies. Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging and fiber-tracking offer a noninvasive technique for mapping human brain connectivity and have been increasingly used to study patients with epilepsy. In this study we investigated the effects of two types of TLE ( right-sided and left-sided ) on the global characteristics of brain connectivity estimated by topological measures to reduce the complexity of its interpretation. We used Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI), a high angular resolution diffusion technique, to address the difficulty of Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to disentangle multiple fiber orientations in a single voxel. Further, a global tractography method was utilized to reconstruction the non-dominate pathways.