Cortical thickness and sulcal depth: insights on development and psychopathology in paediatric epilepsy. Issue 2 (October 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tosun, Duygu; Siddarth, Prabha; Levitt, Jennifer; Caplan, Rochelle
• Is Part Of: BJPsych open. Volume 1:Issue 2(2015)
• Page Start: 129
• Page End: 135
• Publication Date: 2015-10
• Subjects: Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Mental health -- Periodicals; 616.89005
• DOI: 10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001719
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2056-4724

Abstract

Abstract : Background: The relationship between cortical thickness (CThick) and sulcal depth (SDepth) changes across brain regions during development. Epilepsy youth have CThick and SDepth abnormalities and prevalent psychiatric disorders. Aims: This study compared the CThick–SDepth relationship in children with focal epilepsy with typically developing children (TDC) and the role played by seizure and psychopathology variables. Method: A surface-based, computational high-resolution three-dimesional (3D) magnetic resonance image analytic technique compared regional CThick–SDepth relationships in 42 participants with focal epilepsy and 46 TDC (6–16 years) imaged in a 1.5 Tesla scanner. Psychiatric interviews administered to each participant yielded psychiatric diagnoses. Parents provided seizure-related information. Results: The TDC group alone demonstrated a significant negative medial fronto-orbital CThick–SDepth correlation. Focal epilepsy participants with but not without psychiatric diagnoses showed significant positive pre-central and post-central CThick–SDepth associations not found in TDC. Although the history of prolonged seizures was significantly associated with the postcentral CThick–SDepth correlation, it was unrelated to the presence/absence of psychiatric diagnoses. Conclusions: Abnormal CThick–SDepth pre-central and post-central associations might be a psychopathology biomarker in paediatric focal epilepsy.