Epilepsy and Behavior Case Reports (Jan 2016)

Potential brain language reorganization in a boy with refractory epilepsy; an fNIRS–EEG and fMRI comparison

  • Phetsamone Vannasing,
  • Isotta Cornaggia,
  • Catherine Vanasse,
  • Julie Tremblay,
  • Paola Diadori,
  • Sébastien Perreault,
  • Maryse Lassonde,
  • Anne Gallagher

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebcr.2016.01.006
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. C
pp. 34 – 37

Abstract

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As part of a presurgical investigation for a resection of a tumor located in the left temporal brain region, we evaluated pre- and postsurgical language lateralization in a right-handed boy with refractory epilepsy. In this study, we compared functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) results obtained while the participant performed expressive and receptive language tasks with those obtained using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This case study illustrates the potential for NIRS to contribute favorably to the localization of language functions in children with epilepsy and cognitive or behavioral problems and its potential advantages over fMRI in presurgical assessment. Moreover, it suggests that fNIRS is sensitive in localizing an atypical language network or potential brain reorganization related to epilepsy in young patients.

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