Epilepsy linked to brain volume and thickness differences

Epilepsy is associated with thickness and volume differences in the grey matter of several brain regions, according to new research led by UCL and the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The largest-ever neuroimaging study of people with epilepsy, published today in Brain , shows that epilepsy involves more widespread physical differences than previously assumed, even in types of epilepsy that are typically considered to be more benign if seizures are under control. The brain abnormalities the researchers identified were subtle, and have not yet been implicated in any loss of function. "We found differences in brain matter even in common epilepsies that are often considered to be comparatively benign. While we haven't yet assessed the impact of these differences, our findings suggest there's more to epilepsy than we realise, and now we need to do more research to understand the causes of these differences," said the study's lead author, Professor Sanjay Sisodiya (UCL Institute of Neurology & Epilepsy Society). Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects 0.6-1.5% of the global population, comprising many different syndromes and conditions, and defined by a tendency for seizures. The study was conducted by the global ENIGMA-Epilepsy consortium, part of ENIGMA which is headquartered at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and pooled data from 24 research centres across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia.