OBJECTIVES: The aim was to describe the contribution of basal ganglia (BG) thalamo-cortical circuitry to the whole-brain functional connectivity in focal epilepsies. METHODS: Interictal resting-state fMRI recordings were acquired in 46 persons with focal epilepsies. Of these 46, 22 had temporal lobe epilepsy: 9 left temporal (LTLE), 13 right temporal (RTLE); 15 had frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE); and 9 had parietal/occipital lobe epilepsy (POLE). There were 20 healthy controls. The complete weighted network was analyzed based on correlation matrices of 90 and 194 regions. The network topology was quantified on a global and regional level by measures based on graph theory, and connection-level changes were analyzed by the partial least square method. RESULTS: In all patient groups except RTLE, the shift of the functional network topology away from random was observed (normalized clustering coefficient and characteristic path length were higher in patient groups than in controls). Links contributing to this change were found in the cortico-subcortical connections. Weak connections (low correlations) consistently contributed to this modification of the network. The importance of regions changed: decreases in the subcortical areas and both decreases and increases in the cortical areas were observed in node strength, clustering coefficient and eigenvector centrality in patient groups when compared to controls. Node strength decreases of the basal ganglia, i.e. the putamen, caudate, and pallidum, were displayed in LTLE, FLE, and POLE. The connectivity within the basal ganglia-thalamus circuitry was not disturbed; the disturbance concerned the connectivity between the circuitry and the cortex. SIGNIFICANCE: Focal epilepsies affect large-scale brain networks beyond the epileptogenic zones. Cortico-subcortical functional connectivity disturbance was displayed in LTLE, FLE, and POLE. Significant changes in the resting-state functional connectivity between cortical and subcortical structures suggest an important role of the BG and thalamus in focal epilepsies.

• Keywords
• Epilepsy, Functional connectivity, Functional magnetic resonance imaging, Network analysis, Partial least square analysis,
• MeSH
• Basal Ganglia diagnostic imaging   physiopathology   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Electroencephalography MeSH
• Epilepsies, Partial diagnostic imaging   physiopathology   MeSH
• Oxygen blood   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging MeSH
• Brain Mapping * MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Cerebral Cortex diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Nerve Net diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Neural Pathways diagnostic imaging   physiopathology   MeSH
• Image Processing, Computer-Assisted MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Oxygen MeSH

Epilepsy is both a disease of the brain and the mind. Here, we present the first of two papers with extended summaries of selected presentations of the Third International Congress on Epilepsy, Brain and Mind (April 3-5, 2014; Brno, Czech Republic). Epilepsy in history and the arts and its relationships with religion were discussed, as were overviews of epilepsy and relevant aspects of social cognition, handedness, accelerated forgetting and autobiographical amnesia, and large-scale brain networks.

• Keywords
• Accelerated forgetting, Cognition, Epilepsy, Handedness, Music, Networks, Religion, Social cognition,
• MeSH
• Amnesia diagnosis   psychology   therapy   MeSH
• Epilepsy diagnosis   psychology   therapy   MeSH
• Functional Laterality MeSH
• Internationality * MeSH
• Congresses as Topic * trends   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical * MeSH
• Brain pathology   MeSH
• Social Behavior MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH