A University of Texas at Arlington bioengineer and his doctoral student have discovered find out how to discover which brain cells result in epileptic episodes in children.

Professor of Research Christos Papadelis and doctoral student Ludovica Corona, who’s first creator, have written a paper published in Brain, a highly touted scientific journal. The study, “Non-invasive mapping of epileptogenic networks predicts surgical final result,” is supported by UT Arlington and Cook Kid’s Health Care System and funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and was produced in collaboration with Boston Kid’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Papadelis and his team used noninvasive techniques and advanced computational methods to measure the electrical and magnetic signals generated by neural cells within the human brain and discover functional networks which might be chargeable for the generation of seizures in children affected by epilepsy. This latest method identifies those functional networks with high precision.

“This may benefit so many children who cannot control epilepsy with drugs, which represents between 20 and 30% of kids affected by epilepsy,” said Papadelis, who also serves because the director of research within the Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center at Cook Kid’s Health Care System.

Currently, Papadelis said, epilepsy surgery is the safest and best treatment for these patients because it offers a 50% probability of eliminating seizures.

“By identifying which parts of the brain are producing the seizures, we will then resect them with brain surgery or ablate them with laser,” Papadelis said. “The test we developed pinpoints exactly where the epilepsy network is happening. Currently, there isn’t a clinical exam to discover this brain area with high precision.

“Seizures affect these children throughout their entire live and have significant impact of their normal development. Successful treatment of epilepsy through surgery or laser ablation early in life would supply an improved final result for these children since their brains possess extensive neural plasticity and may get better after surgery higher than adult brains. This could help the kids live seizure-free and have less comorbidities from epilepsy.”

Epilepsy is a standard neurological disorder affecting about 3.4 million people in america. Of those, about 470,000 are children, or about considered one of every 100 children within the U.S. Children with uncontrolled seizures are at increased risk for poor long-term mental and psychological outcomes, together with poor health-related quality of life.

Michael Cho, chair of the UTA Department of Bioengineering, said this research is a characteristic example of how bioengineering research can have a direct impact on the lives of patients.

This research has real promise. In lots of areas, the quicker and more accurately the issues are detected and solved, the higher probability patients have of living normal lives. The diagnostic tool is great in that it’s non-invasive as well.”

Michael Cho, Chair of the UTA Department of Bioengineering

Source:

University of Texas at Arlington

Journal reference:

Corona, L., et al. (2023) Non-invasive mapping of epileptogenic networks predicts surgical final result. Brain. doi.org/10.1093/brain/awac477.