Can brain network analyses guide epilepsy surgery?

Abstract

Purpose of review: Epilepsy surgery is a potentially curative intervention for medically refractory epilepsy. In the last several decades, epilepsy has been studied as a network disorder. How has this disease model influenced surgical interventions?

Recent findings: Surgical outcomes for resection are increasingly being tied to network features, such as node hubness score. These findings imply that measuring network features may augment epileptologist seizure onset zone designation for surgical planning. Network models are also leveraged for neuromodulation, specifically in studies with thalamic targets. Recent findings suggest that the thalamus may function as a reasonable target for neuromodulation because of its role in the seizure propagation networks.

Summary: In this review, we discuss the degree these models of epilepsy are influencing surgery today and barriers for the widespread adoption of network models when planning epilepsy surgery.