Examining motor network disturbances in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy using fMRI

Frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) is a seizure disorder that commonly associated with functional motor deficits. While the source of these deficits is unknown, it is postulated that repeated seizure activity within the frontal lobe may impact the proximal motor network. To examine this hypothesis, motor networks were compared between participants with right FLE, left FLE, and controls using two methods. The first was a task-based fMRI study of brain activation during simple and complex motor tasks, and the second was a resting-state fMRI study of motor network connectivity. Both studies revealed motor network disturbances in participants with FLE, disturbances that were more pronounced in participants with higher seizure burden factors. These results demonstrate that motor networks are altered in patients with FLE, providing a possible underlying cause behind functional motor deficits in these patients.