Impaired white-matter integrity in photosensitive epilepsy: A DTI study using tract-based spatial statistics

SummaryBackground and purposeThe present study was designed to map alterations in brain white-matter in photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) by applying tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis.MethodsDiffusion tensor-imaging (DTI) data from MRI brain scans were collected from eight PSE patients and 16 gender- and age-matched non-epileptic controls using a SIEMENS Trio 3.0-Tesla scanner. For the white-matter analysis, DTI scans were processed using FSL software (http://www.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/fsl/index.html). Fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the PSE and control groups were compared using TBSS analysis corrected for multiple comparisons using threshold-free cluster enhancement.ResultsCompared with the control subjects, the corpus callosum of PSE patients had significantly lower FA values.ConclusionOur DTI study indicates that white-matter in the corpus callosum was abnormal in PSE patients, and that DTI methods can serve as useful non-invasive tools to evaluate white-matter changes in PSE patients.