Regional homogeneity (ReHo) changes in new onset versus chronic benign epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS): A resting state fMRI study

•Abnormal ReHo values were found in new-onset drug-naïve and chronic BECTS groups.•Abnormal ReHo values were seen in sensorimotor, language and default mode regions.•Impairment of function may be due to abnormal ReHo values in brain regions.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate regional homogeneity (ReHo) in children with new-onset drug-naïve Benign Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (BECTS), chronic BECTS and healthy controls (HC) using the Regional Homogeneity (ReHo) method applied to resting state fMRI data.MethodsResting state fMRI data was collected from three groups of children aged 6-13, including new onset drug naïve BECTS, chronic BECTS with medication, and HC; the data analyzed by ReHo method. Mandarin school exams scores were acquired and compared across groups.ResultsThere were three main findings. Firstly, compared with HC, abnormally increased ReHo was observed in bilateral sensorimotor regions in new onset BECTS which normalized or even reversed in the chronic BECTS group. Secondly, enhanced ReHo was found in the left frontal language region in the two BECTS groups, with even higher ReHo value in the chronic group. Lastly, decreased ReHo was found in regions of the default mode network (DMN), bilateral occipital lobes and cerebellum in both the new onset and chronic BECTS groups, lower in chronic BECTS. Behavioral analyses of school scores showed the chronic BECTS group presented significantly lower scores compared to HC (p < .05).SignificanceThe coherence of low frequency fluctuations is disrupted in sensorimotor, language and DMN-related regions in new-onset BECTS. Some of these effects seem to be selectively normalized in chronic BECTS, thus allowing us to explore possible chronicity and AED-induced effects on BECTS. Abnormal ReHo in left language and DMN regions could be responsible for impairments of cognitive function.