Detection of brain somatic mutations in CSF from refractory epilepsy patients Running head: Detect somatic variants in epilepsy patients CSF

International audienceBrain mosaic mutations are a major cause of refractory focal epilepsies with cortical malformations such as focal cortical dysplasia, hemimegalencephaly, malformation of cortical development with oligodendroglial hyperplasia in epilepsy, or ganglioglioma. Here, we collected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during epilepsy surgery to search for somatic variants in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using targeted droplet digital PCR. In 3/12 epileptic patients with known somatic mutations previously identified in brain tissue, we here provide evidence that brain mosaicism can be detected in the CSF-derived cfDNA. These findings suggest future opportunities for detecting the mutant allele driving epilepsy in CSF