Discriminating regional functional networks in pediatric epilepsy

This study introduces a correlation-based threshold analysis on region-of-interest connectivity networks calculated from functional MRI and based on the auditory description decision task (ADDT) language paradigm. The correlation threshold using the proposed method is determined to ensure that optimal connectivity is obtained with a minimum number of edges. Empirical evaluations on patients with epilepsy and control groups demonstrate that such correlation thresholds lead to significantly different connectivity networks of left and right temporal lobe when comparing the control group with patients and in ascertaining these networks relative to the location of the seizure focus. Interestingly, such thresholds did not show similar trends when using the AAL 90 template for the whole brain, which emphasize the need for the proposed regional connectivity concept. Also, most of the demographic and clinical parameters, such as handedness, age, gender, and seizure onset duration are shown not to have any effect on these thresholds.