Connectivity and networks in epilepsy patients with cranial tumors

Epilepsy is considered a disease in which dynamic processes in the neuronal networks of the brain are dysfunctional. Patients suffering from primary brain tumors often experience epileptic seizures. Up till now, it is unclear which factors are responsible for the large individual variability in the frequency of epileptic seizures in these patients. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is an imaging technique that is used for detection of seizure activity and epileptic source localization as well as assessment of functional connectivity and neural network features throughout the brain. Recent research advances concerning functional connectivity and network properties of the brain have indicated that these techniques may be used to investigate factors that determine the frequency of epileptic seizures. Functional connectivity and network structure have also proven to correlate with cognitive functioning in brain tumor patients.
The current study aims to investigate whether neural network characteristics of the brain can predict the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures in brain tumor patients. Our secondary objective is to determine the correlation between seizures, network architecture and cognition in this patient group.

- Epilepsy patients with brain tumours show altered functional connectivity and networks in the brain compared to healthy controls

- Connectivity and networks change over time as a function of treatment

Baseline, before and after each treatment

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