Functional Brain Network Response Of Generalized Tonic-clonic Seizures Induced By Motor Tasks

As a common type of generalized epilepsy,generalized tonic-clonic seizures(GTCS)are characterized by sudden loss of consciousness and symmetric convulsions throughout the body,typically lasting for several minutes.This type of epilepsy usually affects the functions of the cerebral cortex and cerebellum,leading to disruptions in these areas.In recent years,researchers have used static functional connectivity to discover certain functional connections between the cerebral cortex and cerebellum,but there has been relatively little research on the dynamic features of these connections.Recent studies in neuroscience have shown that the brain’s basic activity model should contain both spatial and temporal characteristics,based on different neural activities corresponding to different spatial connectivity patterns.Therefore,the theoretical idea that brain activity under the same thought state during a specific task paradigm will be relatively stable in a certain pattern,may need to be further analyzed for the dynamic changes of this brain pattern during the task process.The goal of this study is to explore the causes of motor impairment in patients with GTCS,focusing on the motor-related brain areas,using functional magnetic resonance imaging(f MRI)data and various mathematical analysis methods to investigate the spatiotemporal changes of the brain’s motor system in resting and active states.The target motor brain regions were determined by comparing the activated regions with the Automated Anatomical Labeling(AAL)template.Then,the functional connectivity of the region of interests(ROI)was calculated to construct a connectivity network,and the physiological and psychological interaction brought about by the motor task was analyzed using graph theory analysis.The effects of GTCS on the brain’s motor regions in resting and active states were analyzed,and statistical tests were conducted.The results showed that the main changes in GTCS patients occurred during active states,manifested by widespread hyperactivity in the brain and cerebellum,and abnormal increases in the strength,stability,and efficiency of the motor network.Further analysis revealed that abnormal regulation of cerebellar function was a significant cause of the abnormality in the motor network of GTCS patients.The cortical-basal ganglia-cerebellar neural loop exhibited significant functional abnormalities at both the ROI and voxel levels.Therefore,this neural loop will be a focus of future theoretical and clinical research.The results of this study provide possible suggestions for the diagnosis,treatment,and prevention of GTCS epilepsy,and deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of GTCS.