Globally altered microstructural properties and network topology in Rasmussen's encephalitis.

Rasmussen's encephalitis is an immune-mediated brain disorder characterised by progressive unilateral cerebral atrophy, neuroinflammation, drug-resistant seizures and cognitive decline. However, volumetric changes and epileptiform EEG activity were also observed in the contralateral hemisphere, raising questions about the aetiology of contralateral involvement. In this study, we aim to investigate alterations of white matter integrity, structural network topology and network efficiency in Rasmussen's encephalitis using diffusion-tensor imaging. Fourteen individuals with Rasmussen's encephalitis (11 female, median onset 6 years, range 4-22, median disease duration at MRI 5 years, range 0-42) and 20 healthy control subjects were included. All subjects underwent T1-weighted structural and diffusion-tensor imaging. Diffusion-tensor images were analysed using the fixel-based analysis framework included in the MRtrix3 toolbox. Fibre density and cross-section served as a quantitative measure for microstructural white matter integrity. T1-weighted structural images were processed using FreeSurfer, subcortical segmentations and cortical parcellations using the Desikan-Killiany atlas served as nodes in a structural network model, edge weights were determined based on streamline count between pairs of nodes and compared using network-based statistics. Global efficiency was used to quantify network integration on an intrahemispheric level. All metrics were compared cross-sectionally between individuals with Rasmussen's encephalitis and healthy control subjects using sex and age as regressors and within the Rasmussen's encephalitis group using linear regression including age at onset and disease duration as independent variables. Relative to healthy control subjects, individuals with Rasmussen's encephalitis showed significantly (family-wise-error-corrected

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

C.Ho. reports personal fees from Eisai. A.R. has received fees as speaker or served on the advisory board of Bayer, Bracco, GE, Guerbet. C.He. has received fees as speaker or served on the advisory board of Eisai. R.S. has received fees as speaker or served on the advisory board of Angelini, Arvelle, Bial, Eisai, Livanova, Novartis, Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Novartis, Precisis GmbH, UCB Pharma, UnEEG and Zogenix. T.R. has received fees as a speaker from Eisai. These activities were not related to the content of this manuscript.