Combined EEG-fMRI in epilepsy: methodological improvements and application to functional connectivity

Simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a powerful non-invasive brain imaging technique with high temporal and spatial resolution. In epilepsy It is a valuable tool for the localization of the zone that has eventually to be resected. Importantly, it has been instrumental in mapping networks associated with the occurrence of focal interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs). However, EEG-fMRI combination is challenging because of the artefacts on the EEG signal. Aim of my PhD was to improve the quality of the EEG acquired inside the scanner to further investigate the role of detectable scalp IEDs on the epileptic networks. Firstly, I developed a method to detect the occurrences of the Pulse Artefact that corrupts EEG quality . Secondly, I performed seed-based functional connectivity of focal pharmaco-resistant epileptic patients exhibiting an epileptic network during EEG-fMRI and I evaluated the role of IEDs on the network